A PCA-AA approach to measure equal and sustainable well-being in the Italian Regions

The study proposes a measure of the well-being of Italian regions in terms of efficiency, considering simultaneously economic, social and environmental aspects. The paper suggests an integrated approach using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and Activity Analysis (AA) to evaluate the equal and sustainable well-being (ESW) of Italian Regions for the years 2005 and 2010. The AA efficiency scores have been used to evaluate in a separate way the sustainable and economic development of regions. The analysis evidences that Italian regions do not show a suitable balance between economic and sustainable performance of well-being.