Research on the Compilation of a Composite Index from the Perspective of Public Value—The Case of the Global Health Security Index

Abstract

The Global Health Security Index (GHSI), the first report on the world’s defensive capabilities against major infectious diseases, released in 2019, deviated from the actual performance of countries globally during COVID-19. Principal component analysis is used to deconstruct the multiple dimensions of public value on the GHSI index; reasons are explored for the deviation between the GHSI scoring results of countries worldwide and their performance in the COVID-19 pandemic, and the logical principles of composite index compilation are analyzed. The results show that the dimensions selected for inclusion in the GHSI are relatively isometric, and omissions of important values are the fundamental reason for the deviation. The composite index is the quantification of qualitative values, and public value affects the process of compiling the composite index in at least four respects: dimension selection, specific indicators, weight-setting, and evaluation-scoring. Therefore, public value should become the theoretical basis for compiling a composite index. This study effectively combines qualitative and quantitative research, provides theoretical explanations and practical guidance for further iterative updates of the GHSI and the optimization of world health and security governance tools, and provides a broader research perspective for the development of composite indices.