Planning for sustainability
A new data-driven index of environmental performance
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22411954 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Arianna Agosto (0000-0001-6551-086X, University of Pavia), Alessandro Bitetto (0000-0002-2332-4345, University Carlo Cattaneo, corresponding author), Paola Cerchiello (0000-0002-4896-5552, University of Pavia), Yana Kostiuk (Istituto Universitario di Studi Superiori di Pavia) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 105 |
| Pages | 102505 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Socio-Economic Planning Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0038-0121 • E-ISSN: 1873-6041 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.seps.2026.102505 |
| OpenAlex | W7160962415 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 61 |
In this paper, we propose a new, entirely data-driven and time-consistent index of environmental performance, the Data-Driven Environmental Performance Index (DDEPI), computed annually for 168 countries from 2015 to 2022. While traditional indexes often rely on expert-based weights, the DDEPI is built on empirical data using Robust Principal Component Analysis (Robust PCA) to identify variables that account for the largest share of variance. To ensure inter-temporal comparability, the methodology incorporates an explicit alignment step that matches yearly components to a fixed reference basis, addressing the limitations of traditional PCA in longitudinal settings. The index is primarily driven by indicators related to air quality, drinking water, and biodiversity. We validate the DDEPI by analyzing external socio-economic groupings and by conducting a diagnostic screening of country-specific structural breaks and volatility. Our results highlight the critical role of institutional quality and natural resource management in achieving sustainability goals, and provide a robust framework for monitoring environmental trajectories over time.
Index (typography) · Production (economics) · Term (time) · Work (physics) · Land Use and Ecosystem Services · Sustainable Building Design and Assessment · Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy
Handbook on Constructing Composite Indicators
When to use what
The effect of energy consumption, urbanization, trade openness, industrial output, and the political stability on the environmental degradation in the Mena (Middle East and North African) region
Generalized impulse response analysis in linear multivariate models
Impulse response analysis in nonlinear multivariate models
Principal component analysis
Financial development and dynamic investment behavior
Analysis of a complex of statistical variables into principal components.
Estimating Vector Autoregressions with Panel Data
How economic growth, renewable electricity and natural resources contribute to CO2 emissions?
Testing for Granger non-causality in heterogeneous panels
The Varimax Criterion for Analytic Rotation in Factor Analysis
Economic Growth and the Environment
Investigating Causal Relations by Econometric Models and Cross-spectral Methods
World peace and global sustainability
Impact of institutional quality on environment and energy consumption
Environmental Kuznets Curve Hypothesis
On the Methodological Framework of Composite Indices
A comparative analysis between composite indexes of environmental performance
The Rise and Fall of the Environmental Kuznets Curve
Measuring Well-Being Over Time
The International Wealth Index (IWI)
National Institutions and Global Public Goods
Democracy and Environmental Degradation
Three pillars of sustainability
Two in One
Use and Misuse of PCA for Measuring Well-Being
| Highly cited | No |
|---|