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Improving wealth accounting and global sustainability assessment: assessing wealth benchmark estimates

Author

Listed:
  • Koji Tokimatsu

    (Institute of Science Tokyo (Former Tokyo Institute of Technology))

  • Rieko Yasuoka

    (Institute of Science Tokyo (Former Tokyo Institute of Technology)
    System Research Center Co., Ltd.)

Abstract

The current paper first clarifies commonalities and disparities between a 2018 report by the World Bank Group (WBG), the Inclusive Wealth Report (IWR), and Arrow et al.’s 2012 paper. It is worth comparing the measures of wealth components and reported values of the two reports and Arrow et al. 2012, since the WBG 2018 report foregoes using the present value of future consumption and employs different measures of human capital wealth than the IWR 2018 report, and as a result, the two authorities reported different country-level wealth. We clarified what methodologies, parameters, equations, and datasets were used in the reports, and on this basis determined a respective calculation method for each wealth component, or chose one of the multiple possible measures devised by us on the basis of the reports and public databases for the years 2000, 2010, 2014, and 2020. We determined and chose methods on the basis of higher coefficients of determination, or their agreement with reported values, the inclusion of related variables, and their simplicity. The chosen methods were calibrated by comparing their measured values with the values in the reports. The significant differences between the two reports can be duplicated by our assigned or chosen methods.

Suggested Citation

  • Koji Tokimatsu & Rieko Yasuoka, 2025. "Improving wealth accounting and global sustainability assessment: assessing wealth benchmark estimates," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 72(1), pages 1-60, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:inrvec:v:72:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1007_s12232-024-00476-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s12232-024-00476-5
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Adjusted net savings (ANS); Comprehensive wealth (CW); Inclusive wealth (IW); Sustainability; Social welfare;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q01 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - General - - - Sustainable Development
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming
    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth

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