Human Development Report 2013 - UNDP

FIGURE 1.7Few countries show both the high HDI and low ecological footprint required for sustainable humandevelopment11Ecological footprint, 2007 (global hectares per capita)10LOW AND MEDIUM HDIHIGH AND VERY HIGH HDI9876543WORLD AVERAGE BIOCAPACITY, 2008 (1.79)21SUSTAINABLEHUMAN DEVELOPMENT00.25 0.35 0.45 0.55 0.65 0.75 0.85 0.95HDI, 2012Low HDIMedium HDIHigh HDIVery high HDINote: Ecological footprint is a measure of the biocapacity of the earth and the demand on biocapacity. It depends on the average productivity of biologicallyproductive land and water in a given year.Source: HDRO calculations and Global Footprint Network (2011).and social stability as economic success.Inequity and exclusion are social injustices thatfundamentally weaken human freedoms.An integrated society relies on effectivesocial institutions that enable people to actcollectively, enhancing trust and solidaritybetween groups. These institutions includeformal nongovernmental organizations,informal associations and cooperatives, aswell as norms and rules of behaviour. Theyinfluence individual human developmentoutcomes, social cohesion and social stability.To differentiate them from individual capabilities,the functioning of these institutionsand their impact on people can be describedas “social competencies” (box 1.7). The extentto which social competencies foster morecohesivesocieties can be assessed by theirsuccess at achieving social inclusion and socialstability.Some developing countries have sought toaddress social exclusion by distributing thebenefits of growth more evenly in a refinementof the growth with redistribution strategy.But this commodity-centric view of inclusivegrowth does little to end the economic and socialdiscrimination that often has long-standinghistorical and cultural roots. Such discriminationmay be widespread even in countries withhigh income per capita. Clearly income growthalone cannot achieve social cohesion; activepolicies are needed.The impact of inequity can persist overgenerations. For instance, a study of eightdeveloped countries found that more-unequalcountries usually had lower social mobility. 49 InChapter 1 The state of human development | 35