Sukhdev, Pavan

This study aims to review major issues in the measurement of human capital and present some empirical measures of human capital for India. Education is an important component of economic activity, although investment in education is only one of the many forms of investment in human capital. The main objective of this monograph is to provide empirical estimates of the educational capital formation in different Indian states.

Though various studies and scientific assessments highlight the contribution of the forestry sector in terms of various ecosystem services, not much work has been initiated on the valuation of and the accounting for the ecological functions of forest ecosystems. In this monograph, the missing contributions of forests have been accounted for and monetized for 2002/03 in terms of the following ecological benefits: prevention of soil erosion, augmentation of groundwater, and flood control.

The main aim of this study is to develop an accounting framework that reflects the real contribution of agricultural land and pastureland to society.

In this paper, the authors attempt to value the biodiversity functions of India's natural ecosystems and suggest a method to adjust national (GDP) and state income (GSDP) accounts.

This monograph first describes the popular types of accounting usually followed in case of freshwater resources. Second, it reviews some fo the successful examples of accounting done in select countries from all over the world and focuses on lessons learnt from doing such an exercise in a developing country like India. Third, the change in the quality of water over the period 1993-2003 has been computed for surface water and groundwater.

Pavan Sukhdev lays out a sweeping new vision for tomorrow’s corporation: one that will increase human wellbeing and social equity, decrease environmental risks and ecological losses, and still generate profit. Corporation 2020 presents new approaches to measuring the true costs of business and the corporation’s obligation to society.

As a policy research organisation, the International Institute for Environment and Development has evolved key concepts, theories and ways of working in sustainable development since 1973. The big idea we explore here is banking on biodiversity. This approach rests on the fact that much rural poverty is concentrated in the world’s biodiversity hotspots.

The aim of this synthesis is to highlight and illustrate the approach adopted by TEEB: namely to show how economic concepts and tools can help equip society with the means to incorporate the values of nature into decision making at all levels.