Synergies or Trade‐offs? A New Method to Quantify Synergy Between Different Dimensions of Sustainability

Abstract

This paper presents a new assessment tool developed for the analysis of synergies and tradeoffs between selected development trends. We suggest new quantitative measures for the concepts of synergy, trade-off and delinking. The tool is developed to analyse the synergy between two different trends, but it can be used to analyse simultaneously the synergy between three trends representing the three different dimensions of sustainable development. The use of the tool is demonstrated with several examples from European Union countries. Copyright

Futures of European welfare models and policies: seeking actual research questions, and new problem-solving arsenal for European welfare states

“…The synergy and trade-off analysis tool has been developed to analyse the synergy between different trends; it enables comparisons of intensities between different combinations and provides more explorative results than strictly statistical results [107,108]. The concepts of synergy and win-win strategies have been widely discussed; for example, in the fields of economic growth, well-being and social policy [107] and also in the long-term formulations of European policies [109].…”

“…The concepts of synergy and win-win strategies have been widely discussed; for example, in the fields of economic growth, well-being and social policy [107] and also in the long-term formulations of European policies [109]. Thus, creating better synergy and positive trade-offs is one of the key future challenges of European welfare policy.…”

“…This kind of analysis does not imply that synergy is necessarily good and trade-off is bad, or vice versa. Such interpretation is always case specific; to interpret the results in more depth, we need to determine how we would like the trends to evolve [107,108]. Thus there is a need for desirability analyses in this context.…”

“…The synergy analysis tool has been developed to analyse the synergy between two different trends, but it can be used to analyse simultaneously the synergy between three trends representing the three different dimensions of sustainable development [107,108]. In this study, this methodology is used to analyse synergies between trends relevant for welfare in European countries.…”

Dynamic Sustainability. Sustainability Window Analysis of Chinese Poverty-Environment Nexus Development

“…The major platform model of ASA was presented in the Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems and Sustainable Development and in the journal article of Population and Environment [15,16]. Additionally, rebound analysis [17], de-linking and re-linking analyses [18], synergy and trade-off analysis methodology packages [19,20], and de-growth and sustainable growth analysis [21] have been included in the ASA framework. Thus, the Sustainability Window methodology can be seen as a new useful module of a broader ASA analysis framework.…”