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CPS877 Paula J.G. et al.
The compromise positions revealed the countries with more prominent
positions. With regard to axis 1 (social aspects), there were countries with a
more distinctive position in terms of not only the “Basic” and “Elementary”
aspects but also with regard to the “Essentials” and “Aspirational” dimensions.
The compromise positions and annual data permitted to also identify the
existence of four main clusters with a distribution along axis 1 ranging from
the “Elementary” (cluster #4) and Basics” quadrants (cluster #3) to the more
central positions (cluster #2) and the “Essentials” and “Aspirational” quadrants
(cluster #1). There were countries with long trajectories in all clusters but most
countries tended to evolve towards the “Essentials” quadrant and so, the
cluster #1 countries progressed mainly along axis 2 and the cluster #3
countries had a more predominant evolution in relation to axis 1, while the
clusters #2 and #4 countries displayed a mixed evolution on both axes.
Although the OECD “How’s Life” program departed from an economic and
financial perspective mainly rooted on GDP, many of the decisive variables
with regard to the longest country trajectories appeared to be directly (or at
least semi-directly) related to the income and revenues generated at the
individual, family, and government levels. Nonetheless, the identified critical
variables revealed the importance of complementary aspects for the efficiency
of business operations and results, namely in relation to social aspects and
environmental priorities. It is worth noting that the countries with the largest
stimulus packages in 2008-2010 (with the objective of emerging stronger out
of the crisis) did not appear to have started to benefit from these investments
yet which might be a reflection of their starting positions and/or an indication
of insufficient time elapsed.
Apart from the fiscal and financial stimulus, government investments and
expenditures, and support to families and businesses, some countries
benefited from international bail-out programs (over and above the stimulus
packages of 2008-2010) from approx. 2011 onwards. It is clear from the results
that the bailed-out countries (Greece, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain) have been
able to inflect their downward trajectories (albeit to distinct extents) and thus,
have started to make progress towards the “Essentials” quadrant at different
paces. In this process, the variables identified as being the most important and
decisive represented a compromise and require a well-judged balance
involving aspects of an economic, financial, social, and environmental nature.

References
1. Des Plantes, H. H. (1976). Structuration des Tableaux a Trois Indices de la
Statistique. These de troisieme cycle. Université de Montpellier II, 94.
2. Escoufier, Y. (1987). Three-mode data analysis: the STATIS method.
Methods for multidimensional data analysis, 259-272.
3. Lavit, C. (1988). Analyse conjointe de plusieurs matrices. Masson, Paris.

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