The Usefulness of Sustainability Indicators for Policy Making in Developing Countries: The Case of Madagascar

In this article, the authors compare the practical policy implications that can be derived from the calculation, from 1980 to 2004, of three aggregate sustainability indicators for Madagascar. The chosen indicators are the adjusted net saving (ANS), the genuine progress indicator (GPI), and the ecological footprint (EF). The results are twofold. First, these indicators provide very different messages regarding the sustainability of Madagascar's recent development. The first one indicates a development path that is not sustainable, whereas the latter two do not indicate anything to be alarmed about. Second, they yield a set of widely diverse policy implications. The EF provides policy recommendations that are too general for poor countries rich in natural resources, such as Madagascar. The GPI highlights several social issues, but its interpretation in terms of sustainability remains ambiguous as it is a mix between a present welfare and a sustainability indicator. In the end, the authors consider that the ANS provides the most consistent information about the sustainability of Madagascar's recent development path.