Dear colleagues,

The purpose of this Special Issue is to invite papers on the general theme of open challenges in sustainability, how they can be addressed, and how these solutions or proposals can be implemented using quantitative techniques from econometrics, statistics, and related techniques. Qualitative techniques are more than welcome.

The Journal focuses on “environmental, cultural, economic, and social sustainability of human beings”. There are many issues to be explored, and to which this Special Issue is interested in:

1. What is sustainability in different contexts? For some, “sustainable development” is a contradiction in terms, as development is by definition not “sustainable”.
2. Sustainability involves dimensions from economics, the environment, and society. How can sustainability be measured in a “holistic” approach? How did it evolve over time? How it can be measured using quantitative techniques, qualitative techniques, or a mixture of both?
3. Sustainability involves many other aspects, such as cultural, human and labor rights, human relations to nature, and ecologically-conscious production and consumption, poverty, peace, security, justice, etc. How can we define sustainability in these instances, and how it can be measured?
4. What are the policy tools available to improve sustainability? How can quantitative or qualitative models be developed to address this concern? Simulation is, of course, an interesting alternative, as in scenarios about the policy instruments, we can historically examine what could have happened in terms of sustainability.
5. How can we define sustainability in tourism beyond the concept of authenticity? What are alternative definitions and methodological approaches to sustainability in fields like tourism as well as other economic sectors?
6. Can we use input–output analysis tools in the field of Sustainability? Can we use other techniques from Operations Research like efficiency and productivity measures (using either data envelopment analysis or stochastic frontier analysis)?
7. What are best practices in sustainability and how can we estimate their effect? Traditionally, best practices involve the recyclingof materials, poverty alleviation through exported recycled materials from developed to developing countries, etc. Are these practices contributing to sustainability, and how can we measure their effects?
8. Often it is recommended to use quality of life instead of standard of living. Clearly, the second is part of the first. However, is this true? What are arguments for or against, and how can one quantify them?
9. Broadly speaking, a sustainability index is an aggregate sustainability indicator that combines multiple sources of data. Here is the Consultative Group on Sustainable Development Indices^::

Is this set of indicators to be recommended as comprehensive? If so, how can one combine them optimally to obtain a precise index? If not, why not and what alternatives exist? Can Operations Research methods be used to compare and contrast different nations or regions.

1. What novel econometric and statistical methods can be developed to measure sustainability, find its determinants, and measure its impact and evolution over time; and what policy recommendations can be provided from novel, comprehensive econometric models?

Prof. Mike Tsionas
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Air Quality Index
• Child Development Index
• Corruption Perceptions Index
• Democracy Index
• Environmental Performance Index
• Energy Sustainability Index
• Education Index
• Environmental Sustainability Index
• Environmental Vulnerability Index
• GDP per capita
• Gini coefficient
• Gender Parity Index
• Gender-related Development Index
• Gender Empowerment Measure
• Gross national happiness
• Genuine Progress Indicator
• (formerly Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare)
• Gross National Product
• Happy Planet Index
• Human Development Index (see List of countries by HDI)
• Legatum Prosperity Index
• Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare
• Life Expectancy Index
• Sustainable Governance Indicators. The Status Index ^[11] ranks 30 OECD countries in terms of sustainable reform performance
• Sustainable Society Index
• SDEWES Index
• Vehicle Technology Sustainability Index
• Water Poverty Index