Represent 'affordable on a sustainable basis'

[pdez90]

This is a priority term that needs to be defined for the SDGIO.

Note: UNEP has been called on the precisely define the following goal below. Im not sure whether we need to break down the words, or use the whole phrase? Refers to medicines: Proportion of population with access to affordable essential medicines on a sustainable basis

Essential: also in 1) quality essential health-care services (target 3.8) 2) capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development (target 15.4) 3) essential services (education, health and social protection)

Affordable also in 1) affordable and equitable access (target 9.1/9.c) 2) affordable and quality..education (target 4.3) 3) affordable drinking water (target 6.1) 4) affordable, reliable and modern energy services (target 7.1) 5) affordable credit (target 9.3) 6) affordable housing and basic services (target 11.1)

[mark-jensen]

Im not sure whether we need to break down the words, or use the whole phrase?

I think breaking down into individual terms is preferable.

We have medicine, access, essential service, essential medicine, and affordable.

[mark-jensen]

The definition of affordable is rough and in need of feedback.

affordable = A quality of an entity by virtue of it having a cost within the financial means of a person who has a median income.

Its very loose, something being affordable is dependent on many factors. It should probably be a defined class composed of any "affordable" class, such as affordable housing, affordable education, etc. But, I haven't yet found any clear UN doctrine on defining those.

[pbuttigieg]

@mark-jensen

affordable = A quality of an entity by virtue of it having a cost within the financial means of a person who has a median income.

Do you get median from somewhere in particular? This would suggest that even if a large proportion of the Earth's human population couldn't afford something, it would be classified as affordable.

Somewhat long-winded thought process: affordable =def. A disposition which inheres in an entity by virtue of that entity's market value being sufficiently low that it may be bought by a person with access to that market without that person forfeiting resources required to access or purchase basic goods or services.

then: affordable to all =def. an affordable disposition which is realised by an entity in all markets and for all buyers with access to those markets.

• I think noting access to markets is useful: something may be affordable but not accessible
• The idea of affordability as the impact of a purchase on an individual's ability to acquire other 'needed' or basic goods and services is useful. Those must be listed, of course.
• Whether the buyer needs to be a human is another point that needs clarification.
• I say market value as I'm not sure if we're only talking about monetised markets (barter etc should also factor in order for this to be globally applicable, right?). We can create a subclass for 'monetarily affordable' (or similar) with a community-specific label 'affordable' if this is not the case.

[pbuttigieg]

without that person forfeiting resources required to access or purchase basic goods or services.

Perhaps this should be more "...person exchanging a quantity of the resources under their control which would prevent them (legally) accessing or purchasing (other) basic goods or services"

The idea of legal is there as unaffordable goods or services tend to push people towards illegal markets. This could be applied to all markets mentioned in the previous definition. The "other" is there as many goods and services mentioned already fall under "basic".

[pbuttigieg]

@pdez90 Based on the comment thread thus far, affordable on a sustainable basis suggests that an entity's affordable disposition can be maintained by markets without consuming (natural) resources faster than they can be replenished. Note that this consumption/replenishment is transitive - the replenishment processes must also be sustainable.

[mark-jensen]

@pbuttigieg

Do you get median from somewhere in particular? This would suggest that even if a large proportion of the Earth's human population couldn't afford something, it would be classified as affordable.

I pulled that from some material about housing affordability indices, but agree it is not enough here. I realize now that use of 'within financial means' makes my def. circular---transferring the explication of 'affordable' to 'financial means'.

[mark-jensen]

Based on the comment thread thus far, affordable on a sustainable basis suggests that an entity's affordable disposition can be maintained by markets without consuming (natural) resources faster than they can be replenished. Note that this consumption/replenishment is transitive - the replenishment processes must also be sustainable.

I like this.

[mark-jensen]

affordable =def. A disposition which inheres in an entity by virtue of that entity's market value being sufficiently low that it may be bought by a person with access to that market without that person forfeiting resources required to access or purchase basic goods or services.

This is far better. But:

Making it a disposition is problematic. Dispositions come and go based on physical changes to their bearers. There is nothing intrinsic about some piece of food or medicine that makes it affordable. Affordability can come and go based on changes external to an entity. Something being affordable is tied to its place in a particular market and to a particular person who has a certain financial "profile". Although, my having made it a quality doesn't serve much better here.

I also think there still needs to be some reference to a median or average person's income in that market. Your definition would necessitate that a good/service is only affordable unless all people, including people without any income, can buy it without sacrificing basic needs. I don't think that will work. Unless governmental assistance counts as a factor into the affordability of something. Perhaps this can be sidestepped with comment on what goes into determining 'sufficiently low' and 'access to that market'.

The problem I've run into in thinking about this is that the idea of affordability exists in a relationship between some good or service and the buyer of that good or service, situated in a particular context--a market--which also needs reference to some normative criteria for a minimum level of income or resources of the typical consumer, and the prioritized need for the good or service. There is also a strong sense from what I've seen that policy dictates what is affordable, i.e., what amount of non-consumption or lack of affordability is acceptable for a particular society.

I now wonder if affordable is more along the lines of a categorical label that is placed on goods and services as a result of some computational process taking into account a variety of statistical measures about a market and income stratification, etc.

Hence, affordable is information content--a value specification.

affordable = A value specification that is about some entity by virtue of that entity's market value being sufficiently low such that it may be bought by a person with minimum resources and access to that market without preventing that person from legally accessing and purchasing other basic goods or services.