Child Sustainable Human Development Index (CSHDI): Monitoring progress for the future generation

Providing children with opportunities to flourish must be at the forefront of the Agenda 2030 and of policies aimed at achieving sustainable human development. Policy objectives must include environmental sustainability. The aim of this work is twofold. First, we devise a novel composite index that tracks progress towards sustainable (economic, social and environmental) development with a focus on children: the Child Sustainable Human Development Index (CSHDI). We then test it on a sample of 60 countries for the period between 2010 and 2017. Notably, our CSHDI incorporates key elements of environmental sustainability within its framework and adopts a novel approach to the construction of composite indices that is more suitable for representing children's capabilities. The article is structured into five sections. The first section contextualises the research. The second section outlines a conceptual framework and the dimensions selected as proxies of the flourishing of children. The third section presents the method of aggregation and the dataset. The fourth section presents and discusses the main results, including sensitivity analysis. In the last section, implications of research findings and final remarks are offered. By comparing the CSHDI with other indicators, this study reveals the applicability and appropriateness of this new index.