Regional economic welfare: a comparative approach between Spanish and Italian regions
This paper proposes a revised view of regional economic wellbeing.
Recent papers on regional studies have expressed concern about the notion
of regional well-being that considers only per-capita income indicators. Comparing
Italian and Spanish regions and using Data Envelopment Analysis, this paper
suggests a synthetic indicator of regional economic wellbeing based on Osberg’s
(1985) four components: consumption capacity, accumulation, inequality, and economic insecurity.
The indicator does not impose a pre-defined view of well-being
in the comparison between regions which may have different perceptions about
it. The results show that distinct regions can reach the same level of well-being
through different paths. We conclude by reflecting on how future studies of economic
well-being should explain the principles underlying the geographical distribution
of regional economic well-being.
Check other articles from the issue Otoño 2010 or from other issues.