Synthesis of Multi-indicator System Over Time: A Poset-based Approach

In recent years, sustainable development has become one of the main issues of scientific and institutional debate. The literature on this concept is wide and often presents conflicting positions. This leads to considering sustainable development as a contested concept. The growing interest and importance of this topic has also led to an increasing focus on the aspect of its measurement. Dealing with the measurement of complex phenomena, like sustainable development, means dealing with synthesis. The traditional and dominant approach to the synthesis of multi-indicator systems of cardinal variables is the use of the aggregative-compensative approach. Despite its success, this approach presents a series of critical issues. In this paper, we propose a method of synthesizing multi-indicator systems over time based on the Partial Order Theory. Applying and comparing the method we proposed and an aggregative method, the Adjusted Mazziotta–Pareto Index, to one of the 15 sustainable development goals, we highlight the strengths of the new methodological proposal.