Theory and practice of the use of fiscal sustainability indicators

As woodworking and construction technologies improve, the construction of multi-storey timber buildings is gaining popularity worldwide. There is a need to look at the design of existing buildings and assess their sustainability. The aim of the present study is to assess the sustainability of modern high-rise timber buildings using multi-criteria assessment methods. The paper presents a hierarchical system of sustainability indicators and an assessment framework, developed by the authors. Based on this framework, the tallest timber buildings in different countries, i.e., Mjøstårnet in Norway, Brock Commons in Canada, Treet in Norway, Forte in Australia, Strandparken in Sweden and Stadthaus in UK, were compared across the three dimensions of sustainability (environmental, economic/technological, and social). Research has revealed that none of the buildings is leading in all dimensions of sustainability. However, each building is unique and has its own strengths. Overall multi-criteria assessment of the buildings revealed that the Brock Commons building in Canada has received the highest rank in all dimensions of sustainability. The paper contributes to the theory and practice of sustainability assessment and extends the knowledge about high-rise timber buildings. The proposed sustainability assessment framework can be used by both academics and practitioners for assessment of high-rise timber buildings.

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Fiscal Sustainability Indicators and Policy Design in the Face of Ageing

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.2005169 ◽

2006 ◽

Cited By ~ 103

Author(s):

Geert Langenus

Keyword(s):

Policy Design ◽

Sustainability Indicators ◽

Fiscal Sustainability ◽

The Face

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Assessing fiscal sustainability in Swaziland

South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences ◽

10.4102/sajems.v21i1.1821 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Welcome N. Nxumalo ◽

Nomvuyo F. Hlophe

Keyword(s):

Fiscal Policy ◽

South African ◽

Stochastic Analysis ◽

Sustainability Indicators ◽

Fiscal Sustainability ◽

Fiscal Crisis ◽

Customs Union ◽

Medium Term ◽

Corrective Measures ◽

Long Run

Background: Understanding and assessing fiscal sustainability is essential in ensuring financial and macro-economic stability. Fiscal sustainability has emerged as an important subject for Swaziland given the increasingly volatile government revenues especially those coming through the South African Customs Union (SACU), which threw the country into a severe fiscal crisis between 2010 and 2012, as well as the pressures on increased government spending in the post-fiscal crisis era. Aim: This article primarily focuses on studying whether Swaziland’s fiscal policy remains on a sustainable path or whether corrective measures would be required. Setting: Study focuses on Swaziland, a small open economy that is vulnerable to external shocks. The country also relies heavily on South African Customs Union (SACU) revenues. Methods: The study employs a broad approach to assessing fiscal sustainability in Swaziland covering both deterministic and stochastic analysis. On the deterministic analysis, the article studies the evolution of debt given macro-economic variables and further estimates fiscal sustainability indicators such as the primary gap and tax-gap. From a stochastic analysis, the article uses the Trehan and Walsh Methodology as well as Hakkio and Rush Methodology. Results: Fiscal sustainability indicators reflected that the country is on an unsustainable path with a primary gap and tax-gap of about 7% of gross domestic product (GDP) that has to be corrected. The econometric results also portray an evidence of ‘weak-form’ sustainability in the long-run. This is because public expenditures are rising at a faster pace than revenues thereby rendering government deficits unsustainable in the medium term. The econometric results also suggest a tax-spend hypothesis in the long-run, while short-run developments point to a spend-tax hypothesis. In both instances the correction measure is cutting expenditure, mainly recurrent expenditure. Conclusion: The study recommends corrective measures (mainly cuts in government expenditure) for fiscal policy to be brought back into a sustainable path without which a fiscal crisis is imminent. The recommendations are mainly based on the fiscal sustainability indicators as they are more forward looking for the short to medium term. The article suggests fiscal rules based on these indicators.

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Bridging the gaps between theory and practice: a service niche approach to urban sustainability indicators

Sustainable Development ◽

10.1002/sd.349 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 16 (5) ◽

pp. 329-340 ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

James Keirstead ◽

Matt Leach

Keyword(s):

Urban Sustainability ◽

Sustainability Indicators ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Urban Sustainability Indicators

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Development of a mechanism for assessing the economic sustainability of small enterprises

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/20199108052 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 91 ◽

pp. 08052 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Roman Golov ◽

Igor Alkhimovich ◽

Valerij Kazarnovskij ◽

Elena Ermolaeva

Keyword(s):

Sustainability Indicators ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Modern Theory ◽

Small Enterprises ◽

Economic Sustainability ◽

Environmental Organizations ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Main Factors ◽

Environmental Activities

The relevance of this study is due to the lack of a scientifically developed concept of the formation of sustainability indicators for small enterprises operating in the environmental field. The purpose of the study is to develop a mechanism for the economic sustainability of environmental organizations, which is based on competition, centralization of management, and business activities. In addition, the paper analyzed the modern theory and practice of managing production structures, studied the main factors affecting the system of indicators of the organization’s sustainability. A methodology that allows for diagnostics and assessment of the sustainability of an enterprise is proposed. The financial mechanisms that ensure the process of financing environmental activities are studied.

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