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Can Rural Development Be Measured? Design and Application of a Synthetic Index to Portuguese Municipalities

Author

Listed:
  • I. Abreu

    (University of Extremadura)

  • J. M. Nunes

    (Escola Superior Agraria de Elvas)

  • F. J. Mesias

    (University of Extremadura)

Abstract

Starting the discussion about the framework 2021–2027, and regarding the increasing importance given to rural areas by the European Union, multifunctionality of agriculture and its positive externalities can be the leverage factor to a sustainable rural development. It is therefore crucial to identify the success issues in these territories where public investment can more effectively influence the private sector. Despite the existence of many indices of development, none of them is specifically designed for the evaluation of rural areas. This lack of rural development measures hampers the process of assessing the impact of public policies applied in a particular territory, or, in an ex-ante perspective, the identification of the areas where the use of public funds would be more effective. This work hence proposes the design of a Rural Development Index which would cover the defining characteristics of each region’s development. The index has been constructed based on four dimensions: population, social, economic and environmental, with each of them being composed of different indicators. The index is finally applied it to 15 municipalities in a Portuguese NUT III region (North Alentejo) using the most recent data available from the 2011 Portuguese Census. The use of the index has allowed a comparative analysis of values of each territorial unit in different years, producing some conclusions on the effectiveness of the implementation of public policies. It was also possible to identify the dimensions in which the public development policies can improve their results, and how these dimensions contribute to different development levels of the territories.

Suggested Citation

  • I. Abreu & J. M. Nunes & F. J. Mesias, 2019. "Can Rural Development Be Measured? Design and Application of a Synthetic Index to Portuguese Municipalities," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 145(3), pages 1107-1123, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:145:y:2019:i:3:d:10.1007_s11205-019-02124-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-019-02124-w
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    3. Jianwu Qi & Wei Li & Zongxiang Wang & Haozhou Fang, 2021. "Measurement and Path Selection of Rural Development Level in Enclave Areas: A Case Study of Jingyuan County, Gansu Province," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-26, September.
    4. Whelan, Adele & McGuinness, Seamus & Barrett, Alan, 2021. "Review of International Approaches to Evaluating Rural and Community Development Investment and Supports," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number RS124, June.
    5. Romero-Castro, N. & López-Cabarcos, M.A. & Piñeiro-Chousa, J., 2023. "Finance, technology, and values: A configurational approach to the analysis of rural entrepreneurship," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
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    8. Lillemets, Jüri & Fertő, Imre & Viira, Ants-Hannes, 2022. "The socioeconomic impacts of the CAP: Systematic literature review," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    9. Bianca Mitrică & Paul Şerban & Irena Mocanu & Ines Grigorescu & Nicoleta Damian & Monica Dumitraşcu, 2020. "Social Development and Regional Disparities in the Rural Areas of Romania: Focus on the Social Disadvantaged Areas," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 152(1), pages 67-89, November.
    10. Beytollah Mahmoudi & Eric Zenner & Davood Mafi-Gholami & Fatemeh Eshaghi, 2023. "Livelihood Analysis and a New Inferential Model for Development of Forest-Dependent Rural Communities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-15, June.
    11. Joseph G. Walters & Stuart Marsh & Lucelia Rodrigues, 2022. "Planning Perspectives on Rural Connected, Autonomous and Electric Vehicle Implementation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-20, January.
    12. Abreu I. & Mesias F. J. & Ramajo & J, 2021. "Design and validation of an index to measure development in rural areas through stakeholder participation," Papers 2109.12568, arXiv.org.
    13. Jan Ženka & Marcela Chreneková & Lucie Kokešová & Veronika Svetlíková, 2021. "Industrial Structure and Economic Resilience of Non-Metropolitan Regions: An Empirical Base for the Smart Specialization Policies," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-21, December.
    14. Ristić, Dušan & Vukoičić, Danijela & Milinčić, Miroljub, 2019. "Tourism and sustainable development of rural settlements in protected areas - Example NP Кopaonik (Serbia)," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).

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