The Use of the Hellwig's Pattern Model for the Evaluation Of Green Growth in OECD Countries

Green growth is a relatively new concept, which has appeared in the international discussion in response to the increasing environmental threats and also as a potentially effective means to deal with the outcomes of the financial crisis of 2008. According to the OECD (2011a), green growth means taking measures conducive to growth and economic development, while ensuring that natural assets continue to provide the resources and environmental services that contribute to the country's prosperity. The concept of green growth is viewed as a practical way of achieving sustainable development in the long term. The purpose of this article is to analyze the level of green growth in selected OECD countries. Research was carried out based on Hellwig's method, which enabled the construction of a synthetic measure of "greening" of the growth. It is based on indicators related to economic, social, and environmental issues, as used in the OECD. The adopted method made it possible to evaluate the studied phenomenon as a whole, providing grounds for assigning the selected countries into four groups, characterized by similar levels of green growth. In Group I, showing the highest level, there is only one country Denmark. Conversely, 12 of the 21 countries analyzed were assigned to Group IV.