The recently published Social Progress Index 2017, which was released by the US NGO Social Progress Imperative, gives data for a total of 128 countries, but there is no Bosnia and Herzegovina on the list of the mentioned countries.
“This is the second case of excluding BiH from global list of progress, and the first one was recorded back in 2014 when it was not included in the ranking of global competitiveness on the World Economic Forum,” said Professor at the Faculty of Economics in Sarajevo, Anto Domazet.
The Social Progress Index 2017 shows that regional countries were ranked in the group of high social progress (Slovenia at 21st place and Croatia at 35th place) and in a group of upper middle social progress (Serbia at 45th, Albania at 52nd, Montenegro at 54th and Macedonia in 58th place).
The Social Progress Index represents an aggregate index of social and environmental indicators that capture three dimensions of social progress: 1. Basic Human Needs (nutrition and basic medical care, water and sewage, accommodation, personal safety), 2. Foundations of Wellbeing (access to basic knowledge, access to information and communication, health and condition (wellness), the quality of the environment and 3. Opportunities (individual rights, individual freedoms, choices, tolerance and inclusion, and access to advanced knowledge).
“BiH achieved an index of 64.99 (the maximum value of the index is 100). In 2015, the index was increased to 66.15, and in 2016 it was decreased to 65.84. In this period, BiH was treated as the country of higher achievements in social progress in comparison with its productivity. Thus, in the year of 2016, BiH occupied 69th place according to the Social Progress Index, and the 89th place out of 133 observed countries by the level of GDP,” emphasized Domazet.
According to Domazet, BiH was ranked better than many countries with considerably higher GDP (Russia, China, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Venezuela and many others).
That is a sign of a positive framework for creating a better quality of life, and it is mostly based on the availability and quality of public services in sectors of health, education, social and overall security and public infrastructure of the country.
(Source: akta.ba)
