The system of indicators of sustainable development in the region

Abstract

This paper proposes a balanced scorecard (BSC) of sustainable development in the region, including economic, environmental, social indicators and indicators of innovational development. The analysis of the dynamics of sustainable development indicators of Nizhny Novgorod region for the period 2000-2009 was made in comparison with the corresponding average figures for Russia. In addition to the detailed analysis of each indicator used in the BSC, the index approach which allows exploring major trends in sustainable socio-economic system as a whole was used. Since all parameters of the BSC have different dimensions, the technique of nonlinear transformation of these parameters on a single dimensionless scale was suggested, its chosen interval was [0,1]. This technique allows to describe the mapping parameters as compared with those of the same system in the base period (the "dynamic model") and average values of the corresponding indicator for a group of similar objects in the same period ("comparative model"). Analysis of the indexes makes it possible to assess the sustainability of each projection of the BSC. Additionally, you can instantly calculate the composite index as the sum of the indices of all components of the BSC with regard to their significance. Basing on the results of the analysis, key challenges to sustainable development in the region were identified.