Introduction
Progress is a measure of improvement in a country’s economic, social and political well-being. Progress is often seen in terms of economic output, but it can also be measured in terms of human development, well-being and social equality. A countrys rate of progress is determined by a wide range of factors such as economic growth, human resources, technology, infrastructure, policy and social services. In order to assess a country’s progress, a number of indicators can be used, such as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Human Development Index (HDI) and Social Progress Index (SPI). The Social Progress Index is an important metric to monitor the progress of a nation. It is a composite index that examines how a country is doing in terms of its social performance, including factors such as health and education, environmental sustainability and access to basic goods and services.
Definition
The Social Progress Index is defined as “a measure of a countrys relative progress in delivering social outcomes for its citizens”. It is an indicator that looks at the level of basic human needs, access to health and education, access to communication and information, environmental quality and progress towards gender equality in a given country. The SPI is developed and managed by the non-profit organization Social Progress Imperative (SPI).
Components
The Social Progress Index comprises of 52 indicators which are divided into three categories; basic human needs, foundations of wellbeing, and opportunity.
The Basic Human Needs category looks at how a country is providing basic human needs such as Nutrition and Basic Medical Care, Water and Sanitation and Shelter etc.
The Foundations of Wellbeing category looks at how a country is addressing issues such as Health and Wellness, Access to Basic Knowledge, Personal Rights, and Personal Safety.
The Opportunity category looks at how a country is addressing factors such as Access to Advanced Education, Personal Freedom and Choice, Tolerance and Inclusion and access to Good Jobs etc.
The Social Progress Index is a measure of the progress of a country in terms of its ability to meet the basic needs of its citizens, and to provide the conditions for a good quality of life and enable opportunity.
Methodology
The Social Progress Index is created using a multi-dimensional approach which involves collecting, evaluating and triangulating high quality data from a variety of sources such as international organisations, governments, non-governmental organisations and expert organisations. The Index is then scored on a 0 to 100 scale, where 0 is the minimum score and 100 is the maximum score for a given indicator.
The social progress index is calculated by averaging the scores across the 52 indicators. The index then ranks countries against each other, with higher scores indicating higher levels of social progress. Each country’s score is then compared to the average score of all countries and the percentage change is then calculated.
For example, if a country has an SPI of 85 and the average score of all countries is 80, the change percentage is 6.3.
Applications
The Social Progress Index is a powerful tool for governments, businesses, civil society and the media to use for assessing progress, comparing countries and taking informed decisions about social progress allocation and improvement actions.
The Social Progress Index provides governments with a way to measure their performance and make informed decisions regarding social policies, government budgets and investments.
It also provides business with a way to understand the economic needs and opportunities in a particular country and enables them to make informed decisions about where to invest, do business and create jobs.
The Social Progress Index is also a useful tool to help civil society organisations identify the areas where social investments might have the biggest impact and to focus their efforts on influencing governments and businesses to become more socially responsible.
Finally, the Social Progress Index is also a useful tool for the media to bring attention to the issues that are of concern in a particular country, and for them to measure progress over time.
Conclusion
The Social Progress Index is a tool that can be used to measure and monitor the progress of a country in terms of its ability to meet the basic needs of its citizens and provide the conditions for a good quality of life and enable opportunity. It provides governments, businesses, civil society organisations and the media with a way to assess progress and make informed decisions about social progress allocation and improvement actions.
