SCIPE: A Hybrid Framework for Measuring the Quality of Life in Low-Resource Countries Aligning with the Objectives of SDGs

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Abstract The effective realization of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda relies on precise, timely monitoring; yet, for many low-resource nations, the lack of consistent data remains a critical barrier. In these contexts, traditional household surveys are often infrequent, resource-intensive, and prone to organizational gaps, hindering the granular assessment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To bridge this gap, this paper proposes the Sustainable Composite Indicator for Policy Enforcement (SCIPE) , a robust hybrid framework designed to quantify quality of life by integrating traditional statistical sources with high-frequency non-traditional data (NTD), including satellite imagery and nighttime lights. Designed explicitly for data-scarce environments, we demonstrate the efficacy of SCIPE through a representative case study in Bangladesh , organizing the analysis at a granular, district-level resolution. This manuscript provides a policy-aligned conceptual mapping that connects specific quality of life domains to relevant SDGs and alike targets. We consider the SDGs as a standardized benchmark for categorising domains to specify necessary determinants for a holistic measurement. The methodological blueprint articulates rigorous protocols for normalization, participatory weighting, and validation, while explicitly incorporating governance measures to mitigate privacy risks and representational bias. We lay out a complete path to establish a system supporting timely and spatially resolved insights to support initiatives such as Five-Year Plans and Voluntary National Reviews in the context of Bangladesh or a country with a similar socio-economic category. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that while the hybrid SCIPE index offers superior responsiveness and spatial resolution, its responsible deployment requires prudent implementation, strong data governance, and continuous fairness audits to ensure equitable policy enforcement.
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SCIPE: A Hybrid Framework for Measuring the Quality of Life in Low-Resource Countries Aligning with the Objectives of SDGs | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article SCIPE: A Hybrid Framework for Measuring the Quality of Life in Low-Resource Countries Aligning with the Objectives of SDGs Tanjina Tahsin, Redwan Ahmed Rizvee, Shourav Bin Rabbani, Sarker Tanveer Ahmed Rumee, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8982720/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The effective realization of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda relies on precise, timely monitoring; yet, for many low-resource nations, the lack of consistent data remains a critical barrier. In these contexts, traditional household surveys are often infrequent, resource-intensive, and prone to organizational gaps, hindering the granular assessment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To bridge this gap, this paper proposes the Sustainable Composite Indicator for Policy Enforcement (SCIPE) , a robust hybrid framework designed to quantify quality of life by integrating traditional statistical sources with high-frequency non-traditional data (NTD), including satellite imagery and nighttime lights. Designed explicitly for data-scarce environments, we demonstrate the efficacy of SCIPE through a representative case study in Bangladesh , organizing the analysis at a granular, district-level resolution. This manuscript provides a policy-aligned conceptual mapping that connects specific quality of life domains to relevant SDGs and alike targets. We consider the SDGs as a standardized benchmark for categorising domains to specify necessary determinants for a holistic measurement. The methodological blueprint articulates rigorous protocols for normalization, participatory weighting, and validation, while explicitly incorporating governance measures to mitigate privacy risks and representational bias. We lay out a complete path to establish a system supporting timely and spatially resolved insights to support initiatives such as Five-Year Plans and Voluntary National Reviews in the context of Bangladesh or a country with a similar socio-economic category. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that while the hybrid SCIPE index offers superior responsiveness and spatial resolution, its responsible deployment requires prudent implementation, strong data governance, and continuous fairness audits to ensure equitable policy enforcement. Social Policy Applied Statistics City Management and Urban Policy Quality of life Composite Indicators Non-traditional Data SDGs Data Governance Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. 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