The Human Development Index and the possible implementation of the democracy index : an open debate

Abstract

In my work I will analyze the human development index starting from the human development approach, the Human development index (HDI) can be considered as an alternative to the more well-known Gross Domestic Product. (GDP), while this type of traditional index measures the market value of goods and services of a nation in a fixed period of time; the HDI represents the first attempt to overcome GDP, as a more person-focused and multi-dimensional. The Human development index that today is used and recognized globally, especially in the United Nations, is composed of three indicators: health, education, and income. In my work, I will focus on the analysis of the wide debate that spread around the possibility, as well as the necessity, to introduce a new type of indicator: the democracy index, with the purpose of measuring and evaluate the situation and the freedom of the politics’ life of a certain state. It is very interesting to understand how the implementation of this type of index is not so easy analyzing the spread of debate with opposing positions on the topic. My work’s purpose is to studies highlight and analyze the debate on the topic and the different possibilities for the feasible development of the human development index.