Sasin School of Management has developed the Social Progress Index (SPI) for the Provinces of Thailand (SPI Thailand) in collaboration with Social Progress Imperative, a global nonprofit based in Washington D.C., which has provided technical expertise and support to Sasin in developing the index. SPI is a comprehensive, non-economic index launched in 2014 to measure the actual lived experience of people in different countries by looking at three dimensions: basic human needs, foundations of well-being, and opportunity. Since May 2020, Sasin’s SPI Working Team has been sourcing data at the provincial level from various official data sources to cover at least 40 environmental and social indicators to be included in the final framework of the SPI Provincial Index for Thailand. In 2021, Thailand’s SPI Index ranked 71st out of 168 countries. “As our index drives policy effectiveness—creating both action and impact—we are confident Sasin’s partnership with Social Progress Imperative and the launch of SPI Thailand are vital steps to inspire.connect.transform for a better, smarter, sustainable world.” said Professor Ian Fenwick, Ph.D., Director of Sasin. “We know that the Social Progress Index has no impact at all if it sits in reports and computers. It only has a life or a force if it is picked up and used by leaders in government, business, and civil society,” said Michael Green, CEO of Social Progress Imperative, “GDP and economic measures miss things like family, community, and fairness. And we also know that economic measures of progress tell nothing about sustainability and with the coming climate crisis that has become even more pressing.” “By releasing SPI that focuses on specific findings in the provinces of Thailand, Sasin’s goal is to get policymakers and decisions makers to use the SPI tools developed to help them understand the weaknesses and the strengths of each province. As a result, they can better prioritize investment and allocate resources to focus on the needs of the people in each province. SPI is an internationally recognized index, so the involvement of all provinces is important in developing the index so that it suits the context and goals of Thai society,” said Nick Pisalyaput, Deputy Director of Strategy, Innovation, and Impact at Sasin. For more details about the index and report, click here or contact spi@sasin.edu.