Dalia Streimikiene

Prof.

Faculty of Economics and Finance Management

Mykolas Romeris University

Vilnius, Lithuania

Comparative assessment

of environmental indicators of quality of life in Romania and Lithuania

E-mail: daliastreimikiene@mruni.eu

ABSTRACT. The paper presents a comparative study to assess quality of life in terms of environment in Lithuania and Romania. It introduces a system of indicators for assessing environmental issues of quality of life in these two countries. The environmental dimension is one of the major issues affecting quality of life as the environment, first and foremost, provides for healthy living conditions. The environmental indicators being assessed can be organized into 3 major groups of environmental indicators: environmental quality, environmentally responsible behaviour, and consumption of environmental services. These groups of indicators are closely interrelated as environmentally responsible behaviour has positive impact on environmental quality, and improved environmental quality provides for higher consumption of services provided by the environment. The dynamics of these integrated environmental indicators relevant to quality of life were investigated and compared in Lithuania and Romania, and policy recommendations were developed.

Received: January, 2014

1st Revision: March, 2014

Accepted: April, 2014

DOI:10.14254/2071-789X.2014/7-1/2

JEL Classification:  I31, I38, O47

Keywords: integrated indicators, quality of life, environmental quality, environmentally responsible behaviour, consumption of environmental services.