Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Using Multi-level DEA to Go Beyond the Three Dimensions of Sustainability

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Decision Support Systems X: Cognitive Decision Support Systems and Technologies (ICDSST 2020)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing ((LNBIP,volume 384))

Included in the following conference series:

  • 684 Accesses

Abstract

Sustainable development and sustainability are two notions that despite their importance for policy-making, have neither unified definitions nor a common methodological framework to measure them. The purpose of this paper is to propose a measure of sustainability that goes beyond the traditional, three-dimensional structure and accounts also for different definitions and perceptions. To do so, a new, multi-level DEA variation is used, and the method is tested to measure the sustainability of EU countries under three combinations of inputs and outputs (representing perceptions of what sustainability is). The results illustrate that there are countries with variations in the results for the different combinations of inputs and outputs. Thus, no safe conclusions can be drawn for these countries, since the different perceptions alter the measurement level of sustainability.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Coli, M., Nissi, E., Rapposelli, A.: Monitoring environmental efficiency: an application to Italian provinces. Environ. Model. Softw. 26(1), 38–43 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Brundtland, G.: Report of the World Commission on environment and development: our common future, United Nations (1987)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Kates, R., et al.: Sustainability science. Science 292(5517), 641–642 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Robinson, J.: Squaring the circle? Some thoughts on the idea of sustainable development. Ecol. Econ. 48(4), 369–384 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Santana, N., Mariano, E., Camioto, F., Rebelatto, D.: National innovative capacity as determinant in sustainable development: a comparison between the BRICS and G7 countries. Int. J. Innov. Sustain. Dev. 9(3–4), 384–405 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Tyteca, D.: Sustainability indicators at the firm level. J. Ind. Ecol. 2(4), 183–197 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Zhou, H., Yang, Y., Chen, Y., Zhu, J.: Data envelopment analysis application in sustainability: the origins, development and future directions. Eur. J. Oper. Res. 264(1), 1–16 (2018)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  8. Drucker, P.: Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Routledge, Abingdon (2014)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  9. Munda, G., Saisana, M.: Methodological considerations on regional sustainability assessment based on multicriteria and sensitivity analysis. Reg. Stud. 45(2), 261–276 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Moutinho, V., Madaleno, M., Robaina, M.: The economic and environmental efficiency assessment in EU cross-country: evidence from DEA and quantile regression approach. Ecol. Ind. 78, 85–97 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Masternak-Janus, A., Rybaczewska-Błażejowska, M.: Comprehensive regional eco-efficiency analysis based on data envelopment analysis: the case of Polish regions. J. Ind. Ecol. 21(1), 180–190 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Sueyoshi, T., Yuan, Y.: Social sustainability measured by intermediate approach for DEA environmental assessment: Chinese regional planning for economic development and pollution prevention. Energy Econ. 66, 154–166 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Sueyoshi, T., Toshiyuki, Y., Li, A., Wang, D.: Methodological comparison among radial, non-radial and intermediate approaches for DEA environmental assessment. Energy Econ. 67, 439–453 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Gonzalez-Garcia, S., Manteiga, R., Moreira, M., Feijoo, G.: Assessing the sustainability of Spanish cities considering environmental and socio-economic indicators. J. Clean. Prod. 178, 599–610 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Lin, T., Chiu, S.: Sustainable performance of low-carbon energy infrastructure investment on regional development: evidence from China. Sustainability 10(12), 4657 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Moutinho, V., Madaleno, M., Robaina, M., Villar, J.: Advanced scoring method of eco-efficiency in European cities. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 25(2), 1637–1654 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0540-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Cucchiella, F., D’Adamo, I., Gastaldi, M., Miliacca, M.: Efficiency and allocation of emission allowances and energy consumption over more sustainable European economies. J. Clean. Prod. 182, 805–817 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Hassanzadeh, A., Yousefi, S., Farzipoor Saen, R., Hosseininia, S.S.S.: How to assess sustainability of countries via inverse data envelopment analysis? Clean Tech. Environ. Policy 20(1), 29–40 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-017-1450-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Sueyoshi, T., Yuan, Y.: Measuring energy usage and sustainability development in Asian nations by DEA intermediate approach. J. Econ. Struct. 7(6), 1–18 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40008-017-0100-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Biresselioglu, M., Demir, M., Turan, U.: Trinity on thin ice: Integrating three perspectives on the European Union’s likelihood of achieving energy and climate targets. Energy Res. Soc. Sci. 42, 247–257 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Song, M., Peng, J., Wang, J., Zhao, J.: Environmental efficiency and economic growth of China: a ray slack-based model analysis. Eur. J. Oper. Res. 269(1), 51–63 (2018)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  22. Ervural, B., Zaim, S., Delen, D.: A two-stage analytical approach to assess sustainable energy efficiency. Energy 164, 822–836 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Yang, L., Zhang, X.: A comprehensive eco-efficiency model and dynamics of regional eco-efficiency in China. J. Clean. Prod. 173, 100–111 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Carboni, O., Russu, P.: Measuring and forecasting regional environmental and economic efficiency in Italy. Appl. Econ. 50(4), 335–353 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Zhang, A., Li, A., Gao, Y.: Social sustainability assessment across provinces in China: an analysis of combining intermediate approach with data envelopment analysis (DEA) window analysis. Sustainability 10(3), 732 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. DiMaria, C.-H.: An indicator for the economic performance and ecological sustainability of nations. Environ. Model. Assess. 24(3), 279–294 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10666-018-9626-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Pozo, C., Limleamthong, P., Guo, Y., Green, T., Shah, N., Acha, S., Guillén-Gosálbez, G.: Temporal sustainability efficiency analysis of urban areas via Data Envelopment Analysis and the hypervolume indicator: application to London boroughs. J. Clean. Prod. 239, 1–14 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Zhao, L., Zha, Y., Zhuang, Y., Liang, L.: Data envelopment analysis for sustainability evaluation in China: tackling the economic, environmental and social dimensions. Eur. J. Oper. Res. 275(3), 1083–1095 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Tajbakhsh, A., Shamsi, A.: Sustainability performance of countries matters: a non-parametric index. J. Clean. Prod. 224, 506–522 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Tsaples, G., Papathanasiou, J., Georgiou, Andreas C., Samaras, N.: Assessing multidimensional sustainability of European countries with a novel, two-stage DEA. In: Freitas, P.S.A., Dargam, F., Moreno, J.M. (eds.) EmC-ICDSST 2019. LNBIP, vol. 348, pp. 111–122. Springer, Cham (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18819-1_9

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  31. Wu, D.: Performance evaluation: an integrated method using data envelopment analysis and fuzzy preference relations. Eur. J. Oper. Res. 194(1), 227–235 (2009)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  32. EUROSTAT, Database, Eurostat, 2019

    Google Scholar 

  33. Hay, L., Duffy, A.H., Whitfield, R.I.: The S-Cycle performance matrix: supporting comprehensive sustainability performance evaluation of technical systems. Syst. Eng. 20(1), 45–70 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Business Administration, University of Macedonia, Egnatia Str. 156, 54636, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Georgios Tsaples & Jason Papathanasiou

Authors
  1. Georgios Tsaples
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jason Papathanasiou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Georgios Tsaples .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain

    José María Moreno-Jiménez

  2. University of Namur, Namur, Belgium

    Isabelle Linden

  3. SimTech Simulation Technology, Graz, Austria

    Fatima Dargam

  4. Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK

    Uchitha Jayawickrama

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Tsaples, G., Papathanasiou, J. (2020). Using Multi-level DEA to Go Beyond the Three Dimensions of Sustainability. In: Moreno-Jiménez, J., Linden, I., Dargam, F., Jayawickrama, U. (eds) Decision Support Systems X: Cognitive Decision Support Systems and Technologies. ICDSST 2020. Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing, vol 384. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46224-6_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46224-6_2

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-46223-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-46224-6

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation