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Lead Papers
Alexander has not found that Kerala has "moved in the direction of more gender equality". The writer has found that India has moved away from gender equality. He showed that Malabar within Kerala case shows that important well-being improvement can occur within India. There has, happily, been a growing awareness in recent years of the disadvantaged predicament of women in Indian society, but also that social justice can be achieved only through the active agency of women. The suppression of women from participation in social, political, and economic life hurts the people as a whole, not just women. Development scholars wanting to show that ameliorative actions by governments can cause desired development. Understanding of the global ecological questions needed unprecedent joint efforts of scientific and high level political circles of the different countries (Knijnikova). The produced strategy «sustainable development» as environmental development variant has become property of the global community. By a most urgent question, which must to reflect indicators, what parity of economy and ecology today. The locomotive of economy parameters - for reflection ecology and economy integration (Moya). The area of holistic ecosystem management is another approach discussed by Savard. Anielski raises a fundamental challenge to both
economics and business disciplines to explore not only the reform of national accounting systems to provide a more meaningful
barometer of the oikonomia but also the reform of traditional financial and management accounting systems to measure social,
environmental and financial performance. Most importantly, Anielski calls for a fundamental reform of monetary policy, the
elimination of fractional reserve banking, and the alignment of money creation to oikonomia objectives of improving or sustaining the
real wealth of nations. Can the nature of money and monetary policy be restructured
(Smith) so that it serves the desired outcome of citizens
for the sustainable welfare of natural, human or social capital – in short, improved societal well-being?
He believes so.
The importance of all sustainability dimensions (environmental, economic, social, and cultural) in the policy decision making process is evident (Ira). Through the use of subjective (perceptual, behavioural) indicators we can identify the dimension of sustainable/unsustainable living (development) and better understand "geographical reality". Specific studies of elements of the reality through the perception of environmental quality, consumption patterns, evaluation of social infrastructure, expectations and ideas of developmental programmes can be brought together constructively in order to promote better development and sustainable living conditions (Nikitin and Nikitina). Subjective indicators are an important component in identifying reality as perceived by individuals or groups within the population and in selecting information for decision making to affect that reality (Soskolne).
McGregor has extended the idea of sustainability to be a moral and ethical state, as well as an economic and environmental state, wherein sustainable consumption patterns respect the universal values of peace, security, justice and equity within the human relationships that exist in the global village. Put more simply, not only should consumers be concerned with the impact of their decisions on the environment but also on the lives and well-being of other people. Since one of the key functions of families as a social institution is to engage in production (selling their labour in return for wages) and consumption (using those wages to buy goods and services), the roundtable would examine the role of families as they impact sustainable consumption and development. To embrace a moral and ethical perspective, the family's function of production and consumption has to be discussed in relation to its other key functions , especially (a) socialization of children into adult, roles and (b) social control of family members so they are responsible contributing members of society. Pavlova argues that only after pursued reforms it is possible to revive families in Russian Society. Only after education in the spirit of moral principles it is
probable to revive new family, new family relationships, new family psychology, new traditions. World history of Society development
evidently showed connection between family and spiritual level of mankind development. Undoubtedly, this stage of formation is the
next one for Russia and there’s no other way out.
There is a multitude of influences shaping family life and its well-being. Wellness is a concept related to physical well-being. It is a new health paradigm replacing the old model of doctors, drugs, and treating symptoms. Spiritual well-being deals with mental, emotional and spiritual as well as physical health. Instead of blaming the doctor for an illness and expecting insurance companies and government to pick up the health care tab, a wellness approach places personal responsibility as part of the solution. Personal responsibility is a fundamental aspect of The Global Community concepts. We are being responsible people whenever we are aware of our surroundings and community and we seek to improve not abuse. New concepts (the human family, human responsibilities, human security, citizenship education) and old concepts (quality of life, well-being, justice and standard of living) have been combined in conjunction with a comparative analysis of the alternative approaches to the GDP as a way to bring together a collection of viewpoints to understand a family perspective in sustainable consumption and development (McGregor). Sustainable development has two fronts - sustainable production and sustainable consumption. Sustainable consumption addresses the demand side while sustainable development addresses the supply side. The demand side focuses on consumers' choice of goods and services to fulfil basic needs and improve quality of life while the supply side focuses on the economic, social, and environmental impact of production processes. Production is concerned with making sure that resources used to make goods and services consumed by families can be replenished in such a way that reduces the burden on the Earth's carrying capacity and does not impact negatively on intra and inter-generational equity. Sustainable consumption is concerned with decisions made by citizens in their consumption role. It is the fulfilment of basic human needs without undermining the capacity of the environment to fulfil the needs of present and future generations. Sustainable consumption encompasses sustainable management of resources, considerations for the natural environment and societal processes of change, the promotion of human dignity, quality of life and the perspective of interdependence referring to the interplay between people and environments and the relationships between economies, nationally and internationally. This Discussion Roundtable was on the topic of extending the idea of sustainability to be a moral and ethical state, as well as an economic and environmental state, wherein sustainable consumption patterns respect the universal values of peace, security, justice and equity within the human relationships that exist in the global village. Put more simply, not only should consumers be concerned with the impact of their decisions on the environment but also on the lives and well-being of other people. Since one of the key functions of families as a social institution is to engage in production (selling their labour in return for wages) and consumption (using those wages to buy goods and services), the roundtable would examine the role of families as they impact sustainable consumption and development. To embrace a moral and ethical perspective, the family's function of production and consumption has to be discussed in relation to its other key functions, especially (a) socialization of children into adult roles and (b) social control of family members so they are responsible contributing members of society. Our relationships with more distant members of the human family have to become personal because we all share a common destiny, that being to promote the common good. The common good is the totality of social conditions which make it possible for people to reach their full potential in a timely fashion. This common destiny means it is time for an ever-expanding sense of community so that all members of the human family can reach their fullest potential. Economic and physical well-being are concerned with the individual's and family's efficiency in management and control of things in the home (McGregor). It embraces the physical and financial aspects of family life as they engage in roles of consumption, production, conservation, caregiving, and physical maintenance.A comparative analysis (McGregor) of the alternative approaches to measuring development as a way to illustrate that the family perspective, both the family as a social institution and the human family, are integral components of measuring development and must continue to be integrated into the formulas designed to capture human and social development. ECONOMIC INDICATORS measure economic well-being and wealth Money is the only measure of well-being recognized by conventional economies - the price of something is a measure of its value. When countries join the UN, they have to subscribe to the System of National Accounts. These accounts are used to measure the GDP. The Gross Domestic Product is the primary indicator or measure of economic production within a country (growth and development). It is the total dollar value of all of the goods and services made within one year. The global GDP in the mid 90s is $26 trillion and a 4% annual growth is considered alright. The GDP does NOT measure:
Criticism - as the GDP increases, well-being does not necessarily increase along with it. We cannot assume that things are getting better (improved life conditions) just because more money is spent! SOCIAL INDICATORS - measure social well-being and wealth Raising families, caring for elders, voluntary community work and much of art and culture contribute to well-being but often are done without being paid - people need to feel that their efforts are appreciated. SOCIAL HEALTH CANNOT BE MEASURED USING ECONOMIC INDICATORS. Governments resist this because many social indicators are OUTSIDE the direct realm of government influence. Some Alternatives to the GDP:
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