WHAT IS THE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT INDEX? - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The social development index is a statistical number that makes it possible to identify the extent to which the population of each country meets its needs. This allows comparing social progress between the countries of the world.

For its part, social development is understood as the capacity of society to satisfy the basic needs of each of the citizens that make it up. At the same time, it creates the bases to improve the quality of life and promote the socio-economic development of each individual.

Social progress index November 2018. Tier 1 the most developed. Tier 6 the least developed. Source: Social Progress Index / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

Consequently, the index of social development is measured through the study of three fundamental dimensions: basic human needs, the foundations of well-being and opportunities for advancement.

These dimensions in turn are made up of components and these are broken down into indicators. All in order to deepen the fundamental aspects that influence the social development of each country.

For this reason, it is said that the social development index constitutes a measurement of the work of the countries because it involves economic, social and environmental development.

Dimensions of the social development index

To achieve social development, the role of the State is of great importance. This is because this is the one in charge of channeling and distributing the available resources towards the sectors that have less access to the benefits of development.

The social development index is made up of three dimensions: basic human needs, the foundations of well-being, and opportunities for advancement. Each of them will be detailed below.

- Basic human needs

This dimension seeks to determine to what extent each country provides human beings with the necessary inputs to satisfy their basic needs. For this, the following components are taken into account:

Access to nutrition and basic medical care

Nutrition and medical care are fundamental factors for the life of human beings, because not having access to them could lead to the death of the individual.

To statistically determine how the population has access to this component, the following indicators are taken into account:

-Intensity of the food deficit.

-Malnutrition.

-Maternal mortality rate.

-Infant mortality rate.

-Death from infectious diseases.

Access to water and sanitation

This component is considered one of the most important factors for the quality of life of individuals. It is related to health, a fundamental aspect for life and social development. Below are some of the indicators:

-Access to water through pipes.

-Access to sanitation systems.

- Passing of drinking water .

living place

This component refers to all aspects related to access to housing. The following indicators can be identified:

-Access to adequate housing for human development.

-Access to electric power service.

-Quality of electricity sources.

-Quality of the drainage system.

Personal security

Personal security is a fundamental aspect for social development. If it is considered that the society in which one lives is safe, different activities can be carried out that promote the potential of the individual.

Personal safety can be broken down with the indicators mentioned below:

-Crime level.

- Homicide rate.

- The basics of wellness

This dimension is responsible for measuring citizens' access to all those aspects that promote their well-being; which are expressed in the following components:

Access to basic knowledge

Basic knowledge is achieved through education. In this sense, article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that education aims at the full development of the human personality and the strengthening of respect for human rights.

Access to basic knowledge: presents the following indicators:

-Alphabetization rate.

-Enrollment in primary schools.

-Enrollment in high schools.

Access to information and communications

This component makes it possible to determine to what extent individuals have access to information and communications. Some indicators are detailed below:

-Access to mobile telephony.

-Access to landlines.

-Freedom of the press.

-Internet access.

Quality of the environment

To measure the quality of the environment in which human beings operate, the following indicators can be used:

-Air quality.

-Concentration of pollutants in the air, water and soil.

-Biodiversity and quantity of endangered species.

-Quality of natural resources.

Health & Wellness

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.

To obtain a statistical measure related to health and well-being, indicators are used, such as:

- Mortality rate in adults.

-Maternal mortality rate.

-Infant mortality rate.

-Morbidity rate.

- Opportunities

This dimension makes it possible to measure the level to which the population of each country has rights and opportunities for self-improvement and personal growth.

At the same time it measures the desires of each individual to increase their knowledge and skills.

Personal rights

Some of the indicators that allow measuring this component are:

-Private property rights.

-Human rights.

-Political rights.

-Freedom of expression .

Personal freedom

Personal freedom is one of the most complex components of social development. It can be measured through:

- Freedom of worship.

-Freedom to use contraceptive methods.

-Freedom to make decisions.

Tolerance and inclusion

Tolerance is respect and consideration for the way of being or acting of others. For its part, inclusion refers to taking into account all individuals, regardless of their individual characteristics.

Therefore, it is considered a fundamental element in social development. Below are some indicators of this component:

-Tolerance to homosexuality.

-Liberality to religion.

-Tolerance to immigrants .

Access to advanced education

Access to advanced education is measured through the following indicators:

-Years of tertiary schooling.

-Number of universities with the best world ranking.

-Average years of schooling for women.

-Average years of schooling for men.

Once each of the indicators has been analyzed, it is possible to know which is the social development index of each country.

References

1. Defining social development, retrieved on September 20, 2017, from indsocdev.org
2. Human development index, retrieved on September 20, 2017, from wikipedia.org
3. List of countries by social progress index, retrieved on September 20, 2017, from wikipedia.org
4. Social development indicators, retrieved on September 20, 2017, from css.umich.edu
5. The african social development index, retrieved on September 20, 2017, from ecastats.uneca.org
6. Social development, retrieved on September 21, 2017, oecd.org
7. Social progress index, retrieved on September 21, 2017, from socialprogressindex.com.