The Ex-Ante Evaluation of Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

This paper describes the methodology and main results from an overall assessment on future achievement of sustainable development goals. The proposed approach consists of a model-based, looking forward composite sustainable development index—FEEM sustainability index—projected to the future. It represents a first experiment to reproduce the future dynamics of sustainable development indicators over time and worldwide and to assess future sustainability under different scenarios. The assessment presented here is relevant under different viewpoints. First, it has a very broad nature in terms of both geographical coverage and meaningfulness: it considers the multi-dimensional structure of sustainable development by combining relevant indicators belonging to economic, social and environmental pillars for the whole world. Second, the modelling framework to compute future trends of indicators relies upon a recursive-dynamic computable general equilibrium model. This is an ideal tool to look simultaneously at the development of many indicators, their potential interactions and trade-offs, and more in general to the consequences of economic development and/or policies aiming to increase performance in one or more indicators; it allows measuring the overall sustainability under alternative scenarios, across countries and over time. Finally, regarding the construction of the composite indicator, the application of fuzzy measures and Choquet integral increases substantially the model capability allowing taking into account the interactions that exist among the three main pillars of sustainability and the considered indicators.     

Children adopted from China: Attachment security two years later

Background

This study continues the examination of the process of attachment formation of mothers and their adopted Chinese daughters two years postadoption.

Method

30 children adopted from China (mean age = 13.6 months at adoption) were assessed and followed two years following adoption. They were compared to 31 nonadopted Canadian girls of similar age and family background. In earlier reported longitudinal studies of the adopted children, maternal reports of attachment security were employed. In the current study the Strange Situation Procedure was used.

Results

Adopted children show signs of having a secure attachment with their mothers two years following adoption. There was some evidence that disorganized attachment characterized these children more so than for children in the comparison group.

Conclusions

The moderate degree of emotional deprivation experienced by Chinese adoptees does not hinder their ability to form a new attachment with adoptive mothers. Attachment appears open to change, even after a time when children should have already formed an attachment relationship and the change is maintained.