THE USE OF ORDINAL DATA IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC ASSESSMENTS:  APPLICATIONS IN THE RUSSIAN ARCTIC

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Аnatoly А. Shavykin1, Аndrey N. Karnatov2

1, 2Murmansk Marine Biological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Murmansk, Russia

1anatoli.shavykin@mail.ru, ORCID 0000-0003-0538-8115

2karnatov@mmbi.info, ORCID 0000-0003-1853-3270

Abstract. Environmental and economic assessments often rely on variables measured on ordinal scales, particularly when primary data are limited. However, according to measurement theory, arithmetic operations on ordinal data are not valid, and the use of ordinal indicators may lead to unjustified conclusions. This paper aims to outline the fundamental requirements for properly accounting for the type of measurement scale when working with data, including ordinal-scale variables; demonstrate the limitations of using ordinal data in arithmetic operations; substantiate the flaws in a number of environmental and economic assessments regarding the Russian Arctic where ordinal indicators were used; and draw attention to the necessity of considering measurement scale properties in calculations. To validate our findings, we used monotonic increasing transformations of the initial data acceptable on ordinal scales. The analysis shows that several reviewed studies are based on arithmetic calculations with ordinal values, which leads to methodologically unsupported and potentially misleading results. The study demonstrates that ordinal data must not be subjected to algebraic operations.

Keywords: measurement theory, ordinal data, ratio scale, permissible transformations, arithmetic operations

Acknowledgments: The study was conducted as part of a state-funded research project titled “Structural and Dynamic Transformations of Pelagic Ecosystems of Arctic Marine Basins under Technogenic and Natural Environmental Changes”, Registration No. 124013000709-9, Assignment FMEE-2024-0016.

For citation: Shavykin А. А., Karnatov А. N. The use of ordinal data in environmental and economic assessments: Applications in the Russian Arctic. Sever i rynok: formirovanie ekonomicheskogo poryadka [The North and the Market: Forming the Economic Order], 2026, no. 2, pp. 153–166. doi:10.37614/2220-802X.2.2026.92.011

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