Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Multidimensional indicators'

Using multivariate statistical models in small area estimation (SAE) may improve the efficiency of the small area estimates over the univariate SAE. In this thesis, we study the multivariate SAE problem of multidimensional well-being indicators. We first investigate the univariate EBLUP for a single latent variable estimated through confirmatory factor analysis. We use factor scores as composite estimates and calculate the EBLUP of factor score means and compare the use of these with the traditional approach of weighted and simple averages of standardized univariate EBLUPs of a dashboard of single observed indicators. Our simulation studies show that the use of factor scores provides more accurate and efficient estimates than weighted and simple averages in SAE. We also propose a bootstrap algorithm that accounts for the factor analysis model variability in the mean squared error (MSE) estimation of an EBLUP of factor score means. Next, we examine the use of multivariate EBLUP to estimate factor score means (for two latent factors) and compare to the use of weighted and simple averages of standardized EBLUPs of a dashboard of single observed indicators that are estimated in a univariate approach and in a multivariate SAE. We show that in general the multivariate EBLUP is more efficient than the univariate EBLUP, however, when the data correlation is taken into account before SAE estimates are computed (the case of factor scores) multivariate EBLUP does not provide large improvements in efficiency over the univariate case. Finally, we propose an MSE bootstrap estimator of a multivariate EBLUP. The results are in line with the SAE literature in terms of MSE comparisons of the multivariate EBLUP over the univariate EBLUP.

The complex transmission mechanism of socioeconomic inequalities takes place in several spheres of life. This Doctoral Thesis, composed of three essays, focuses on the characterisation of some components of inequalities and their spread through social groups. In the three contributions, innovative techniques have been exposed and empirically assessed to extend the literature on the measurement of well-being and the study of social inequalities. The first essay represents a study on teenagers' leisure time activities distribution and how it relates with income and subjective well-being realisations. Taken from the German Socioeconomic Panel (SOEP), the information on leisure time activities has been processed with a network-based technique to build a multidimensional index proxying well-being. The second essay presents an evolutionary analysis of cumulative deprivation for the Italian working-age population between 2007 and 2018. A rank-based multidimensional approach is applied for the identification of the cumulatively deprived people. Therefore, an assessment of the statistical multidimensional dependence lying across the identified deprivations is provided following a copula-based technique. The third essay contains a focus on the transmission of health inequality through the socioeconomic background of people. A machine-learning technique is used to derive the population partitioning into social groups and to define the different opportunity backgrounds. Furthermore, the study provides insights regarding the varying effect of individual health-related behaviours on the health status. The 2011 sample of UK Household Longitudinal Study data is used for the empirical application.

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The main goal of this thesis is to analyze the sustainability of family farming, through proposition and evaluation of indicators and indexes regarding economic, social, environmental and institutional dimensions. The study was carried out in the county of Francisco Beltrão, in the southwest region of Paraná state, specifically in the watershed of Jacaré River. The rural area of the watershed has 33 headquarters of agricultural ownership, being all of them characterized as family farming. When it comes to socioeconomic context, Southwest region of Paraná represents considerably the agricultural sector, and more specifically, family farming, which is present in all counties, accounting for around 90% of the sector. Methodologically eight indicators of sustainability for each dimension were selected, reaching a total of thirty-two indicators within the four analyzed dimensions. The information to calculate the indicators of sustainability was collected among the family farmers in the studied watershed, and also among the involved agents. This research aimed to know how human actions have affected their surroundings, regarding the risks of their stay, surviving in the medium and long run, as well as by making the best political decisions, through institutional environment. Initially, the Sustainability Indicators (SI) were calculated for each of the proposed dimensions and in each of the different ways of analyzed productive organizations (agricultural, dairy and integrated). Through the indicators, the other indexes that complement the study came out. Among them there are: Individual Sustainability Index (ISI); Specific Sustainability Index (SSI); Specific General Sustainability Index (SGSI); and Total Sustainability Index (TSI). It was noticed that the model developed and applied in the study proved to be able to answer the questions and the problems raised by the present research, through multidimensional analysis. Besides showing the reality of the agricultural properties which are part of the environment of the studied area intra-dimensionally, it also showed the relations of this reality inter-dimensionally. This way, it is possible to face sustainability individually, but especially, in the context of agricultural properties as a whole.
O objetivo central desta tese é analisar a sustentabilidade da agricultura familiar por meio da proposição e avaliação de indicadores e índices envolvendo as dimensões econômica, social, ambiental e institucional. O estudo foi desenvolvido no município de Francisco Beltrão, Região Sudoeste do Estado do Paraná, especificamente na microbacia do Rio Jacaré. A área rural na microbacia contêm 33 sedes de propriedades agrícolas, todas caracterizadas como agricultura familiar. A Região Sudoeste do Paraná tem em seu contexto socioeconômico uma representatividade considerável do setor agropecuário e mais especificamente da agricultura familiar, que está presente em todos os municípios, representando em média 90% do setor. Metodologicamente, optou-se em selecionar oito indicadores de sustentabilidade para cada dimensão, totalizando trinta e dois indicadores nas quatro dimensões analisadas. As informações para efetuar o cálculo dos indicadores de sustentabilidade foram coletadas junto aos agricultores familiares na microbacia em estudo, bem como junto aos agentes envolvidos. Buscou-se conhecer como a ação humana está afetando seu entorno em termos dos riscos de sua permanência, sobrevivência em médio, longo prazos, como também na tomada de melhores decisões políticas, por meio do ambiente institucional. Inicialmente calculou-se os Indicadores de Sustentabilidade (IS) para cada uma das dimensões propostas e em cada uma das diferentes formas de organização produtivas analisadas (agrícola, leiteira e integrada). A partir dos indicadores originaram-se os demais índices que complementam o estudo. Entre estes estão: Índice de Sustentabilidade Individual (ISI); Índice de Sustentabilidade Específico (ISE); Índice de Sustentabilidade Geral Específico (ISGE); e o Índice de Sustentabilidade Total (ISTO). Constatou-se que o modelo desenvolvido e aplicado no estudo, respondeu às questões e problemas levantados na presente pesquisa, por meio da análise multidimensional. Ao mesmo tempo, apontou a realidade das propriedades agrícolas que formam o universo da área estudada de forma intra-dimensional; mostrou também as relações dessa realidade de forma inter-dimensional. Isso permite que se possa olhar a questão da sustentabilidade de forma individual, mas sobretudo, no contexto das propriedades agrícolas como um todo.

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CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
A dissertação discute a eficiência de empreendimentos econômicos solidários de reciclagem, do ponto de vista teórico e metodológico e sob uma visão sistêmica, considerando as dimensões sociais, econômicas, políticas, ambientais e humanas. Para tanto, foram utilizados indicadores multidimensionais baseados no mapeamento nacional da economia solidária (Gaiger e Grupo Ecosol, 2014), pesquisa sobre o Programa de Recuperação de Áreas Degradadas (Ferrarini, 2008), reflexões teórico-metodológicas sobre a sustentabilidade no campo da economia solidária (Kraychete e Carvalho, 2012), e método denominado Índice de Eficiência Multidimensional de Cooperativas de Reciclagem (IEMCR), elaborado mediante a aglutinação de indicadores simples, referidos a uma mesma ou diferentes dimensões. A pesquisa consiste em um estudo quali-quantitativo, de cunho exploratório e descritivo, cujos dados foram produzidos por meio de entrevistas individuais, grupos focais e observações participantes. Os empreendimentos selecionados foram: a Cooperativa de Trabalho e Renda (UNIVALE), Cooperativa de Limpeza Urbana Campo Bom (COOLABORE) e Cooperativa de Recicladores de Dois Irmãos (DOIS IRMÃOS), localizadas no Rio Grande do Sul. Os resultados apontam que os empreendimentos de reciclagem pesquisados são eficientes do ponto de vista multidimensional e sistêmico e que, mesmo com problemas pontuais da baixa escolaridade e baixo revezamento das lideranças, as cooperativas praticam a autogestão, a cooperação e a solidariedade entre seus membros; que esses empreendimentos priorizam a inclusão social e a emancipação econômica dos seus/suas cooperados (as), representam importantes espaços de luta política, gerando um impacto social e ambiental positivo à sociedade e contribuindo para outras formas de desenvolvimento.
This dissertation discusses the efficiency of solidary economic enterprises of recycling, from the theoretical and methodological points of view, as well as from a systemic view, considering social, economic, political, environmental and human dimensions. Therefore, were used multidimensional indicators based on the national mapping of solidarity economy (Gaiger and Ecosol Group, 2014), the indicators of degraded areas recovery program (PIRAD) with Ferrarini (2008), theoretical and methodological reflections indicators on sustainability in the field of solidarity economy, (Kraychete and Carvalho, 2012), and the method called Multidimensional Efficiency of Recycling Cooperatives Index (MERCI) prepared by the agglutination simple indicators referred to the same dimension or different ones. The research consists of a qualitative and quantitative study, of exploratory and descriptive nature, whose data were produced by individual interviews, focus groups and participant observation. The selected projects were: Cooperativa de Trabalho e Renda (UNIVALE), Cooperativa de Limpeza Urbana Campo Bom (COOLABORE) and Cooperativa de Recicladores de Dois Irmãos (DOIS IRMÃOS), Rio Grande do Sul. Results show that the researched recycling developments are efficient by a multidimensional and systemic perspective and that even with specific problems of low education and rotation of leaders, cooperatives practice self-management, cooperation and solidarity among its members. These projects prioritize social inclusion and economic emancipation of cooperative participants, represent important areas of political struggle, generating a positive social and environmental impact to society and contribute to other forms of development.

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With the opening of the Brazilian market of hospitals for foreign direct investment, authorized from January 2015, some challenges of the private hospitals and the healthcare market is to understand what the investors seek in hospitals to make financial contributions. Some issues as macroeconomic outlook of the market; growth potential of the health sector; knowledge of the risks; existence of attractive hospitals available and Corporate Governance (CG), are essential for the analysis of investors. The need to professionalize the management of hospitals and train more qualified professionals is because, of mergers and acquisitions in health operations, be preceded by a thorough study of economic and financial viability and the assessment of the hospital that will receive the contribution. In this way, openness to foreign capital, brings new concepts to the health sector, particularly as the need for adjustments in current management models, mainly as good CG practices. In this sense, the objective of this study is to analyze the CG practices grip level in hospitals of the National Association of the Private Hospitals (ANAHP), and its indicators of economic and financial performance, which make them attractive to foreign investment. In addition, it elaborated the following research question: What is the relationship between the principles of corporate governance and financial indicators of the hospitals associated with ANAHP within the multidimensional perspective. The methodology is a study of exploratory nature, using a nearly-experimental research strategy, classified as ex post facto. Given a quantitative assessment the research has a multivariate approach, using descriptive analysis, multidimensional scaling (MDS) and application of cluster model. It was found that the group with the highest percentage of member hospitals CG (75%) showed better indicators. This result showed a positive relationship between the economic and financial performance indicators and CG practices and illustrated that the greater transparency of information, the better the economic and financial analysis of hospitals who wish to seek foreign investment.
Com a abertura do mercado brasileiro de hospitais ao investimento estrangeiro direto, autorizada a partir de janeiro de 2015, um dos desafios dos hospitais privados e do mercado de saúde é entender o que os investidores buscarão nas instituições hospitalares para realizar os aportes financeiros. Algumas questões como, perspectivas macroeconômicas do mercado; potencial de crescimento do setor de saúde; conhecimento dos riscos; existência de hospitais atrativos disponíveis e Governança Corporativa (GC), são essenciais para a análise dos investidores. A necessidade de profissionalizar a gestão dos hospitais e formar profissionais mais qualificados, se deve ao fato das operações de fusões e aquisições na saúde, serem precedidas de profundo estudo de viabilidade econômico-financeira e avaliação do hospital que receberá o aporte. Desta maneira, a abertura ao capital estrangeiro traz novos conceitos ao setor da saúde, sobretudo quanto a necessidade de adequações nos atuais modelos de gestão, principalmente quanto as boas práticas de GC. Neste sentido, o objetivo deste trabalho é analisar o nível de aderência as práticas de GC nos hospitais da Associação Nacional dos Hospitais Privados (ANAHP) e seus indicadores de desempenho econômico-financeiros, que os tornam atraentes ao investimento estrangeiro. Ademais, elaborou-se a seguinte questão de pesquisa: Qual é a relação entre os princípios de Governança Corporativa e os indicadores econômico-financeiros dos hospitais associados a ANAHP, dentro da ótica multidimensional. Trata-se de um estudo de natureza exploratório, por meio de uma estratégia de pesquisa quase-experimental, classificada como ex post facto. Perante uma avaliação quantitativa a pesquisa adotou uma abordagem multivariada, por meio da análise descritiva, da técnica de escalonamento multidimensional (EMD) e da aplicação do modelo de agrupamentos. Verificou-se que, o agrupamento com maior percentual de hospitais aderentes as práticas de GC (75%), apresentou os melhores indicadores. Este resultado evidenciou uma relação positiva entre os indicadores de desempenho econômico-financeiros e as práticas de GC e ilustrou que, quanto maior a transparência das informações, melhor a análise econômico-financeira das instituições hospitalares que desejam buscar o investimento estrangeiro.

A criação do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), em 1988, no Brasil, representou avanços do ponto de vista de garantias de atendimento, da organização sistêmica e da descentralização da gestão única, porém com frágil governação de desempenho. Por sua vez, a Nova Gestão Pública (NGP), ou Gerencialismo, tem exigido dos gestores públicos de saúde esforços de monitoramento de resultados, controladoria e responsabilização (accountability) dos gastos públicos, visto que muitos países da Europa e América Latina aplicam cerca de 9 a 10% do PIB-GDP em saúde. Este estudo analisou algumas metodologias de mensuração de resultados em saúde no cenário mundial como os projetos QIP e AHRQ (EUA), EFQM (Europa) e PATH (OMS), e projetos brasileiros como o PROADESS, PNASH, PNASS, PMAQ e as matrizes de indicadores como IDB-Ripsa e IDSUS, em busca de desenvolver um quadro teórico-conceptual (base teórico-metodológica) de avaliação de performance para organizações de saúde, aplicável às unidades do SUS. De seguida, envolveu gestores e profissionais para a captação e validação da perceção desses agentes chaves (stakeholders) quanto as dimensões e indicadores chaves para a mensuração de desempenho em organizações e serviços de saúde no contexto do SUSBrasil de hospitais, policlínicas e outras unidades do SUS. Utilizou metodologias científicas de apoio à decisão, como Design Research e o método misto (qualitativo e quantitativo) de avaliação para responder à questão: há diferentes proxies de painel de indicadores de avaliação multidimensional para previsão e monitoramento de performance e resultados em serviços de saúde, conforme os multicritérios dos decisores chaves da rede de serviços na saúde pública do Brasil? Através de estatística descritiva, correlação quantílica e análise factorial, foram analisadas as ponderações de itens de avaliação de performance, na perspetiva dos gestores e decisores e também de itens de análise de qualidade/ satisfação de usuários. Algumas hipóteses sobre variáveis latentes e observadas desses ítens de avaliação foram propostas e testadas por análise estatística, quanto às três possíveis variáveis moderadoras. Por fim, operacionalizou a validação multicêntrica, tendo construído modelos finais através de análise de cargas factoriais, validade e confiabilidade dos itens, de proxies de painéis de indicadores com 453 decisores chaves e uma adaptação transcultural da escala SERVQUAL que resultou em uma escala inovadora de avaliação da qualidade e satisfação, com subescalas de intervenção, tendo sido validada por 195 especialistas e gestores e, aplicada a 2.547 usuários de 74 unidades do SUS.
The creation of the Unified Health System (SUS) in 1988, in the Brazil, represented advances from the standpoint of service guarantees, systemic organization and decentralization of unified management but with weak governance performance. In turn, the New Public Management (NPM), or Managerialism, has required public health managers monitoring efforts results, controllership and accountability of the spending of public funds, as a lot of countries of Europe and Latin America apply about 9-10 % of health – PIB-GDP. This study analyzed some health outcomes measurement methodologies on the world stage as QIP and AHRQ projects (USA), EFQM (Europe) and PATH (WHO), and Brazilian projects as PROADESS, PNASH, PNASS, PMAQ and panel of indicators such as IDB-Ripsa and IDSUS, seeking develop a conceptual framework (theoretical and methodological basis) performance assessment for health organizations applicable to the SUS units. Then engaged managers and professionals (stakeholders) for the capture and validation of the perception of stakeholders as the dimensions and key indicators for performance measurement in organizations and health services in the context of SUS-Brazil hospitals, polyclinics and other SUS units. It used even scientific methods of decision support, as Design Research and mixed method (qualitative and quantitative) assessment to answer the question: there are different proxies’ multidimensional evaluation indicators dashboard for forecasting and monitoring performance and outcomes in hospitals and health services, according to the multiple criteria of the key stakeholders of the care network of the public health in Brazil? Descriptive statistics, quantum correlation and factorial analysis were used to analyze the weighting of performance evaluation items from the perspective of managers and decision makers, as well as user quality/satisfaction analysis items. Some hypotheses about latent and observed variables of these evaluation items were proposed and tested by statistical analysis, regarding the three possible moderating variables. Finally, it operates the multicentric validation, having built final models through analysis of factor loads, validity and reliability of items, of proxies of indicators panels with 453 key decision makers and a cross-cultural adaptation of the SERVQUAL scale that resulted in an innovative scale of evaluation of quality and satisfaction, with intervention subscales, having been validated by 195 specialists and managers, and applied to 2,547 users of 74 SUS units.

Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado da Bahia
This dissertation examines poverty in the state of Bahia under the multidimensional approach to the study of poverty, emphasizing the need to enlarge the focus of research beyond the lack of income and to consider the multidimensionality of poverty in developing policies that aim to combat it. Initially, discuss, the evolutionary path of the study of poverty, emphasizing the dominance of unidimensional monetary approach in the work on poverty in Brazil and Bahia. Subsequently, performs an empirical analysis of poverty in Bahia in 1995, 2001 and 2006, based on two approaches to study of multidimensional poverty: the basic needs approach and the capabilities approach. From the concepts employed by these approaches, defines poverty as the dissatisfaction of basic human needs which deprives the individual to develop and expand its capabilities. The methodology used in the empirical analysis is to apply the multivariate method of the Multiple Correspondence Analysis in the calculation of a multidimensional indicator of poverty (IMP) per unit of population studied. This indicator is composed of a set of qualitative variables, called the primary indicators of deprivation. The results of applying this method also allow for a multidimensional poverty line, used as a criterion for identification of poverty. Based on this poverty line and the indicator, was possible to calculate the traditional indices of poverty FGT (0), FGT (1) and FGT (2) and then measure the poverty in Bahia. The results show that the proportion of poor people was high, especially among the rural population, but this proportion decreased between 1995 and 2006, except in the metropolitan area. Among the individuals considered poor, poverty was more intense and more severe in rural areas. The decomposition of poverty by race and color or by type of family indicated that individuals in black or brown, and the families of the "mother with children under 14 years", had higher risk of poverty. The breakdown by sex showed no significant differences between men and women regarding the extent and risk of poverty. Regarding census areas, the less populous municipalities were those that had a higher percentage of poor. When compared with the income poverty, the multidimensional poverty is had higher (years 2001 and 2006) and stable. While this first there was a significant fall in the period 1995/2006, the decline occurred in the second was much less significant. Thus, by focusing the analysis only on the inadequacy of income, it is not possible to investigate other types of deprivation that affect the people of Bahia. Although in the period examined to identify improvements in the primary indicators, living conditions these people were still short of what could be considered a adequate situation, revealing that a significant population of Bahia had not their basic needs met. Moreover, the set of deprivation cannot be disregarded in the planning and implementation of policies to combat poverty, because, otherwise, it undermines the effectiveness of such policies.
Esta dissertação analisa a pobreza no estado da Bahia, sob o enfoque multidimensional de estudo da pobreza, enfatizando a necessidade de se ampliar o foco de investigação para além da insuficiência de renda e de se considerar a multidimensionalidade da pobreza na elaboração das políticas que objetivem o seu combate. Para isso, discute, inicialmente, a trajetória evolutiva do estudo da pobreza, dando destaque ao predomínio da abordagem unidimensional monetária nos trabalhos sobre a pobreza no Brasil e na Bahia. Posteriormente, realiza uma análise empírica da pobreza na Bahia nos anos 1995, 2001 e 2006, fundamentada em duas abordagens multidimensionais de estudo da pobreza: a abordagem das necessidades básicas e a abordagem das capacitações. A partir dos conceitos empregados por estas abordagens, define a pobreza como a insatisfação das necessidades humanas básicas que priva o indivíduo de desenvolver e expandir as suas capacitações. A metodologia empregada na análise empírica consiste em aplicar o método multivariado da Análise de Correspondências Múltiplas no cálculo de um indicador multidimensional de pobreza (IMP) por unidade da população analisada. Este indicador é composto por um conjunto de variáveis qualitativas, denominadas de indicadores primários de privação. Os resultados da aplicação desse método também permitem estabelecer uma linha de pobreza multidimensional, utilizada como critério de identificação da pobreza. Com base nesta linha de pobreza e no indicador, foi possível calcular os tradicionais índices de pobreza FGT(0), FGT(1) e FGT(2) e, então, mensurar a pobreza na Bahia. Os resultados demonstram que a proporção de pobres era elevada, principalmente entre a população rural, mas que essa proporção diminuiu entre os anos 1995 e 2006, exceto na área metropolitana. Entre os indivíduos considerados pobres, a pobreza era mais intensa e mais severa na área rural. A decomposição da pobreza por cor ou raça e por tipo de família apontou que os indivíduos de cor preta ou parda, bem como as famílias do tipo mãe com filhos menores de 14 anos , apresentavam maior risco de pobreza. A decomposição por sexo não mostrou diferenças significativas entre homens e mulheres quanto à extensão e ao risco de pobreza. Com relação às áreas censitárias, os municípios menos populosos eram os que possuíam maior percentual de pobres. Quando comparada com a pobreza por renda, a pobreza multidimensional se apresentava mais elevada (anos 2001 e 2006) e estável. Enquanto nesta primeira houve uma queda expressiva no período 1995/2006, a diminuição ocorrida na segunda foi bem menos significativa. Assim, ao se concentrar as análises apenas na insuficiência de renda, não se torna possível investigar os outros tipos de privações que atingem a população baiana. Mesmo que no período analisado se identifiquem melhorias nos indicadores primários, as condições de vida desta população ainda estavam longe do que poderia ser considerada uma situação adequada, revelando que uma parcela significativa da população baiana não tinha suas necessidades básicas satisfeitas. Ademais, o conjunto de privações não pode ser desconsiderado no planejamento e execução das políticas de combate à pobreza, pois, do contrário, se compromete a eficácia de tais políticas.
Mestre em Economia

This thesis consists of three self-contained parts, each with its own abstract, body, references and page numbering. Part I, 'Potential theory, path integrals and the Laplacian of the indicator', finds the transition density of absorbed or reflected Brownian motion in a d-dimensional domain as a Feynman-Kac functional involving the Laplacian of the indicator, thereby relating the hitherto unrelated fields of classical potential theory and path integrals. Part II, 'The problem of alternatives', considers parallel investment in alternative technologies or drugs developed over time, where there can be only one winner. Parallel investment accelerates the search for the winner, and increases the winner's expected performance, but is also costly. To determine which candidates show sufficient performance and/or promise, we find an integral equation for the boundary of the optimal continuation region. Part III, 'Optimal support for renewable deployment', considers the role of government subsidies for renewable technologies. Rapidly diminishing subsidies are cheaper for taxpayers, but could prematurely kill otherwise successful technologies. By contrast, high subsidies are not only expensive but can also prop up uneconomical technologies. To analyse this trade-off we present a new model for technology learning that makes capacity expansion endogenous. There are two reasons for this standalone structure. First, the target readership is divergent. Part I concerns mathematical physics, Part II operations research, and Part III policy. Readers interested in specific parts can thus read these in isolation. Those interested in the thesis as a whole may prefer to read the three introductions first. Second, the separate parts are only partially interconnected. Each uses some theory from the preceding part, but not all of it; e.g. Part II uses only a subset of the theory from Part I. The quickest route to Part III is therefore not through the entirety of the preceding parts. Furthermore, those instances where results from previous parts are used are clearly indicated.

Evaluating the welfare of nations is high on the research agenda of the economists, practitioners and policy-makers. The literature contributions of the last decades triggered a multivariate perception of the well-being, which is suggested to go beyond the GDP, and created a need for more complex approaches to evaluate the welfare as well as poverty. The first essay investigates the approaches to multivariate poverty measurement and focuses on the composite index approach and the steps involved in it. An important aspect of the multivariate perspective in well-being is the dependence among the underlying indicators. There is growing evidence in the literature that well-being dimensions are interrelated. This dependence among attributes matters for multidimensional poverty measurement, since income is no longer the only indicator to be considered. However, the reviewed approaches to multivariate poverty measurement do not commonly capture this interdependence. The second essay suggests a copula function as a flexible tool to estimate the dependence among welfare variables. Moreover, it proposes to incorporate the evaluated dependence in the composite indicator. The trade-off among attributes, which is established via the weighting of dimensions, is identified as a possible channel to include the interdependence in the composite indicator. The third essay of this dissertation defines bivariate and multivariate copula-based measures of dependence and applies them using the recent data from the EU-SILC. The results suggest that key dimensions of well-being, i.e. income, education and health, are positively interdependent. In addition, the strength of pairwise and multivariate dependence reinforced in the post-crisis period in some European countries. Finally, the last essay proposes a new class of the copula-based multidimensional poverty indices by innovating over the weighting approach. The weighting scheme proposed in this dissertation incorporates the estimated copula-based dependence and contains necessary normative controls to be chosen by the practitioner. The findings of the last essay suggest that the overall poverty is driven not only by the individual shortfalls, but also by the degree of interdependence among well-being indicators. Considering the proposed copula-based weighting scheme and the proposal of the new class of copula-based poverty indices, this dissertation contributes to the multivariate poverty measurement by suggesting the channel to enclose the dependence structure in the composite indicators. The proposed copula-based methodology will advance the multidimensional poverty analysis and the poverty-reducing policy, which can be designed to address the problem of interdependence of individual achievements.

Because of disunity among prominent professional learning community (PLC) authors, experts, and researchers, the literature was studied to develop a ten-element model that represents a unified and reconceptualized list of characteristics of a PLC. From this model, the Learning Community Culture Indicator (LCCI) was developed to measure professional learning community (PLC) implementation levels based on the ten-element model. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to determine the structural validity of the LCCI. Factor analyses provided successful levels of fit for the models tested in representing the constructs of the LCCI. Reliability measures also indicated high levels of internal consistency among the responses to the survey items. Although some items and elements had moderate levels of fit and need additional revisions and validity testing, the LCCI produced substantial evidence that this survey was a valid and reliable instrument in measuring levels of PLC implementation across the ten elements. Because this research validated the LCCI, school leaders can implement, monitor, and diagnose elements of PLCs in their schools. The LCCI also provides a method in which future research can be conducted to empirically support the influence of PLCs and student achievement. Potential uses and recommendations for further research and consideration are presented. A call for more empirical research is made in connecting the PLC reform model to improved student learning. The theory of PLC is at a point of substantiation and growth. The LCCI is recommended as potential tool for studying and facilitating the implementation of PLCs in schools.

L’obiettivo principale di questa tesi di dottorato è quello di valutare la crescita verde e lo sviluppo sostenibile delle regioni italiane utilizzando un approccio multidimensionale finalizzato alla costruzione di indicatori compositi. L’analisi in componenti principali è utilizzata per sintetizzare le variabili che rappresentano dimensioni della crescita verde e della sostenibilità dello sviluppo. Particolare attenzione è dedicata ai metodi per derivare pesi di ponderazione endogeni, cioè basati sulla struttura dei dati. A differenza dell’analisi sulla crescita verde, dal confronto territoriale sullo sviluppo sostenibile sembra emergere il divario Nord-Sud, che caratterizza in particolare lo sviluppo socioeconomico in Italia. Inoltre, in generale è emerso che un eccellente contesto economico e sociale, che caratterizza le regioni settentrionali, spesso non è accompagnato da livelli altrettanto positivi in alcuni aspetti della sostenibilità ambientale.

Il Prodotto Interno Lordo è uno degli indicatori di riferimento nell'analisi economica. Tale indicatore è utilizzato per analizzare le performance di un sistema economico, per verificare come diverse economie reagiscono a sollecitazioni comuni nonché come parametro nella regolamentazione economica europea. L’indicatore in analisi è caratterizzato da diverse criticità. Un limite del PIL, che ha portato all'elaborazione di alternative allo stesso, è legato all'incapacità dell’indicatore di fotografare il benessere, elemento di tipo multidimensionale che fa riferimento all'ambito economico ed a quello sociale. La multidimensionalità del benessere comporta delle criticità nella costruzione degli indicatori volti a misurarlo. Questo lavoro è volto ad analizzare, in modo teorico ed empirico, le tecniche di costruzione degli indicatori multidimensionali, soffermandosi in particolare sulla normalizzazione dei dati e sul suo impatto sull'importanza relativa assegnata alle dimensioni che compongono un indicatore. Facendo riferimento a dati OECD ed all'apparato teorico di una pubblicazione che su essi si basa, si andranno a determinare i pesi ombra attribuiti alle singole dimensioni non normalizzate, verificando se questi divergono da quelli attribuiti alle dimensioni normalizzate. I risultati mostrano come la normalizzazione dei dati attribuisca implicitamente dei pesi alle dimensioni non normalizzate che possono non coincidere con quelli assegnati alle stesse dopo la normalizzazione.

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Multidimensional analysis of poverty in the state of Maranhão. The data source is the Census of 2000 and 2010. In order to further investigate the phenomenon, we proceeded to the elaboration of an indicator called multidimensional Municipal Poverty Index for Maranhão (IPMM). First, we proceeded to the survey of the main explanatory approaches of the phenomenon of poverty and the main forms of measurement. It was then decided by multidimensional approach to poverty measurement purposes of the phenomenon, but without compromising the structural approach to understand their decisions and ways of overcoming. We decided to choose a multidimensional indicator due to the fact that it takes into account a larger number of indicators. Then, we described the methodology of the Index and the results have been described for both the index and for the six dimensions that comprise it. The main conclusions that came with the construction of IPMM were: a) there was a reduction in poverty both in the state of Maranhão as in all other cities, as we compare the years 2000 and 2010, b) the performance of municipalities was not homogeneous, c) the degree of poverty seems to be more intense at the municipal level than at state d) the most advanced dimensions were: access to the knowledge, child development and housing needs, whereas the least advanced were: access to work and lack of resources. Thus, the evolution of poverty in the municipalities of Maranhão in the first decade of the 2000s was not the result of endogenous factors to the growth pattern exhibited by the economy of Maranhão in this period.
Análise multidimensional da pobreza no estado do Maranhão. A fonte de dados foi o Censo Demográfico dos anos 2000 e 2010. Para melhor apurar o fenômeno procedeu-se à elaboração de um indicador sintético denominado Índice de Pobreza Municipal para o Maranhão (IPMM). Primeiro, procedeu-se ao levantamento das principais abordagens explicativas do fenômeno da pobreza e das principais formas de medição. Optou-se então pela abordagem multidimensional da pobreza para fins de mensuração do fenômeno sem, contudo, abrir mão da abordagem estrutural para compreender suas determinações e formas de superação. Decidiu-se, por um indicador sintético por ele levar em conta um maior número de indicadores. Em seguida, fez-se uma descrição da metodologia do Índice e foram explanadosos resultados obtidos tanto para o Índice como para as seis dimensões que o compõem. As principais conclusões que se chegaram coma construção do IPMM foram: a) houve uma redução pobreza tanto no estado do Maranhão como em todos os municípios, quando comparados os anos 2000 e 2010; b) o desempenho dos municípios não foi homogêneo; c) que o grau de pobreza mostra-se mais intenso na escala municipal do que na estadual; d) as dimensões que mais avançaram foram acesso ao conhecimento, desenvolvimento infantil e carências habitacionais e as que menos avançaram foram acesso ao trabalho e escassez de recursos. Logo, a evolução da pobreza nos municípios do Maranhão na primeira década dos anos 2000 não decorreu de fatores endógenos ao padrão de crescimento exibido pela economia maranhense nesse período.

Ce travail analyse sous différentes approches la pauvreté au Sénégal en s'appuyant notamment sur les données fournies par les deux dernières enquêtes auprès des ménages (ESAM 2-2002 et ESPS-2006) réalisées par l'Agence Nationale de la Statistique et de la Démographie en partenariat avec la Banque mondiale.Dans l'analyse de la pauvreté monétaire, nous faisons apparaître des différences importantes en termes de seuils de pauvreté dans les régions avec aux extrêmes la région Dakar 923,55 F CFA (1,40 €) et Tambacounda 515,70 F CFA (0,78€), ce qui suggère le peu de pertinence quant à l'utilisation d'un seuil établi au seul niveau national. Sur la base de ces seuils, les indices de pauvreté issus de la formule générique de Foster, Greer et Thorbecke (FGT) dévoilent une baisse du taux de pauvreté entre 2002 et 2006 de 57,1% à 50,8%, soit de 6,9 point dans l'ensemble du pays et un écart à la ligne de pauvreté passant de 18% à 16,4%. Cette baisse est particulièrement observée dans les régions de Dakar, Diourbel, Kaolack, Saint-Louis et Thiès. Au niveau départemental, les taux de pauvreté montrent une concentration importante dans les zones rurales et l'existence de poches de pauvreté enclavées dans les zones urbaines. L'estimation d'un modèle économétrique spatial met en évidence les facteurs socioéconomiques susceptibles d'expliquer les différences interdépartementales de taux de pauvreté constatées en 2006, notamment le degré de développement économique des territoires (urbanisation, emploi) ainsi que les comportements des ménages liés au niveau d'infrastructures (d'éducation, de santé et de fécondité).Par ailleurs, nous proposons un modèle dichotomique à partir duquel il est possible de mettre en évidence les déterminants de la pauvreté monétaire des chefs de ménage. Les résultats montrent que les femmes chefs de ménage ne sont pas la couche la plus pauvre. De manière générale, les disparités de pauvreté manifestes entre milieux urbain et rural sont largement corrélées à des handicapes en matière de d'éducation et à l'inégal accès aux moyens d'information et de communication.Nous abordons une analyse multidimensionnelle de la pauvreté au Sénégal, à travers une estimation des degrés de privation de certains besoins essentiels des ménages. L'approche par la théorie des ensembles flous utilisée à cet effet suggère que la pauvreté a faiblement diminué : 1 % contre 7 % pour la pauvreté monétaire. Contrairement à l'approche monétaire, la baisse de la pauvreté non monétaire observée concerne d'autres régions comme Kolda et Ziguinchor et les régions de Diourbel et Kaolack connaissent une hausse. L'estimation des indices flous unidimensionnels a permis d'identifier les domaines dans lesquels les ménages affichent le degré de privation le plus important : la qualité du logement, le niveau d'instruction et les moyens d'information et de communication, au-delà du revenu.Les profils de pauvreté monétaire aussi bien que multidimensionnelle sont d'excellents outils pour cibler les groupes les plus nécessiteux de la population. En revanche, ces outils restent muets sur la perception de ces pauvres quant à leur propre situation socioéconomique. En ce sens, une analyse économétrique des facteurs déterminants de la pauvreté ressentie au Sénégal en 2006 fait apparaître l'importance de certaines dimensions non économiques (exclusion sociale, culturelle et manque de concertation des intéressés sur les politiques de développement et de lutte cotre la pauvreté).

Classé au 162ème rang mondial sur 183, le Togo fait parti des pays les moins avancés. Secoué par une grave crise politique dans les 1990 avec des conséquences socio-économiques dramatiques, le pays a réussit à renoué depuis 2006 avec des taux de croissance positifs. Néanmoins, cette performance est encore insuffisante pour réduire considérablement la pauvreté multiforme qui sévit dans le pays. L’objet de cette thèse est de mesurer deux approches de la pauvreté que sont, l’aspect monétaire et multidimensionnel, ce dernier est axé sur les besoins de base. Pour ce faire, les méthodes suivantes sont utilisées : les indices de pauvreté de Foster Greer Thorbecke (FGT) après avoir déterminé un seuil de pauvreté, l’Analyse des Correspondances Multiples (ACM) permettant de construire un Indicateur Composite de Pauvreté (ICP) et enfin des estimations économétriques. Après avoir proposé quelques politiques de ciblage, un intérêt particulier est accordé à la micro-finance. Les résultats statistiques ont démontrés que bien que le taux de remboursement des membres des groupes de crédit soit élevé, leurs conditions de vie restent médiocres. Le constat est également fait que la performance du remboursement n’est pas liée à l’amélioration de la situation monétaire des clients mais de la nature même de la technologie des groupes solidaires
Ranked 162nd in the world out of 183, Togo is one of the least advanced countries in the world. Shaken by a huge political crisis in the 90’s with dramatic social and economic consequences, the country has had positive GDP growth rates since 2006. However, this performance is still not enough to considerably alleviate the country’s multiform poverty. This dissertation aims to measure two approaches of poverty: the monetary one and basic needs. The measuring tools are: Foster Greer Thorbecke (FGT) poverty indices once a poverty line is determined, Multiple Correspondance Analysis (MCA) used to construct a Composite Poverty Indicator (CPI) and finally econometric estimations. Having introduced some targeting policies, a special attention is paid to micro-finance. Statistical results have shown evidence that, despite the high level of loan repayment by group lending members, they remain non-monetary poor. It is also noticed that the repayment performance isn’t linked to any improvement of the credit group member’s monetary situation, but rather to the very nature of group lending technology

Le capital social est un concept de plus en plus populaire en économie mais des ambiguïtés persistent quant à la manière de saisir l'aspect "social" de la vie humaine et d'interpréter le terme "capital". Par rapport aux précédents travaux, cette thèse fournit des outils analytiques nouveaux pour identifier et mesurer le capital social et étudier son rôle dans le bien-être individuel. Dans une perspective théorique, ces outils apportent un éclairage sur les raisons de ses différentes interprétations. Nous définissons d'abord le capital social comme l'ensemble des attentes et obligations que les individus accumulent lors des interactions et identifions trois dimensions le composant: l'homogénéité entre individus, la fréquence des contacts et la hiérarchisation des relations. Ces dimensions sont responsables de la fonction de coordination, attribuée au capital social, et du vaste éventail d'effets observés jusqu'à présent. Ce cadre est opérationnalisé à l’aide d’une mesure d’un index multidimensionnel au niveau individuel en Indonésie et un lien avec l'approche des capabilités est établi avec pour objectif de mieux identifier les canaux à travers lesquels le capital social impacte le bien être d’individus. Dans une perspective empirique, une étude des déterminants de l'empowerment des femmes est ensuite proposée avec, comme principale variable explicative, le capital social. Cette thèse démontre que le capital social est, tout d’abord, un concept fondamental dans la compréhension de la capacité à agir et dans le bien-être d’individus et que, de plus, celui-ci peut générer des effets négatifs sur l'empowerment des femmes, simultanément à ses effets positifs et prépondérants
In the last decades, the concept of social capital has gained increasing popularity in economics. Yet substantial ambiguity exists about how to assess the "social" aspect of human life and what meaning to attribute to the term "capital". To shed a new light on the concept, I develop a new conceptual framework and I make it operational for analysis and policy in the context of development by investigating issues of gender empowerment. From a theoretical perspective, this conceptual framework defines social capital as the amount of expectations and obligations that individuals accumulate when they interact and identifies its constituting dimensions: homogeneity among individuals, frequency of contacts and hierarchization of relationships. These dimensions are responsible for the function of coordination, attributed to social capital, as well for the wide range of outcomes observed in the literature. This framework is then operationalized through an index of social capital at the individual level in Indonesia. A connection with the capability approach to welfare economics is established to better understand those channels through which social capital affects individual well-being. At the empirical level, an investigation of the determinants of women empowerment in the household is consequently proposed, with social capital as the main explanatory variable. This work shows that the concept of social capital is fundamental to explore individuals' agency and well-being and that it has both positive and negative effects on women empowerment

The objective of this thesis is to prove, theoretically and empirically, the influence of the perceived quality of the building materials for residential use, in the determination of its estimated real estate value, for future calculation utilizing a comparison technique. To achieve this goal,we intend to develop an initial estimate to the synthetic index of the perceived quality of the building materials used in residencial , which will serve as a tool to facilitate and improve the actual calculation utilizing the comparison method in the real estate context. Currently, the valuation sciences don't consider a multidimensional indicator of materials in its calculations. This problem has a special impact when obtaining that valuation, making it difficult to evaluate if the objective quality of the materials and the subjective perception of the material's intrinsic quality are determinants of the real estate value. From this approach,the main hypothesis establishes preliminarily that the perceived quality of the material,as determined by suppliers and buyers, is a variable factor dependant of the complex interrelation of its aesthetical appeal,considering the acceptance level of the materials by the general public, and the technical level of the same, being the latter a factor dependant of its location in the dwelling. From this point of view, the investigation has been structured in two parts. In the first one, the bibliography section documents reference information found in articles ,thesis, magazines, related books and previous studies about the issue. With this material,the starting point is established for the development of this research work, addressing the theoretical argumentation,where the theory of value-utility is explained from the objective and subjective perspectives of the estimation of the real estate value. The second part has 2 stages: The first one tries to calculate the synthetic index of the perceived quality of interior finish materials utilizing the model of multi-variable Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Following this methodology, two different questionnaires have being designed, one for a sample of 400 users and another one for 35 building professionals, both performed during 2009 in Spain, specifically in the province of Alicante (Comunidad Valenciana). The second phase is focused in making a validation of the approximation to the synthetic index perceived during 2011. In this regard, it was considered appropriated start from a simple of 108 surveys for users and 101 surveys for experts in construction,both in the same location where the second part of the study was conducted.lt is important to remember that the method used for this last phase of the research was the Adaptative Conjoint Analys is with the propose of getting the general standardized valuation of partial utilities of the attributes associated with perception of the house's construction, when using the materials in floorings and vertical finishes based on maximization of demand preference. The two methodologies used in this second part are intended to find the distribution pattern of the perceived quality of building materials in residential use and see what the implicit weighs of the aesthetic appeal are as well as the technical quality of the material. This Doctoral Thesis allows the combination of two major lines of research,such as the discipline of building and the valuation sciences of real estate. For this reason, this Doctoral Thesis could be considered a pioneer study regarding to analysis of perception about the quality of the interior finish materials in residential use, for its subsequent application to the calculation of the estimate of the real estate value. In the case of our country, and especially in the province of Alicante, the results of this study can be considered as a channel of actualized information for the use of the building materials in the Levantine Architecture.
Esta tesis tiene como objeto fundamentar teórica y empíricamente la influencia de la calidad percibida de los materiales de construcción del uso residencial en la determinación de la estimación del valor de mercado, para su utilización posterior en la técnica de comparación.Para ello, se pretende diseñar una primera aproximación al índice sintético de la calidad percibida de los materiales en la edificación residencial,que sirva como herramienta para facilitar y mejorar la realidad de cálculo del método de comparación en el ámbito inmobiliario. Actualmente, la disciplina de la valoración no contempla en sus cálculos un indicador multidimensional de los materiales. Este problema tiene una especial incidencia en su obtención al imposibilitar evaluar si la calidad objetiva de los materiales y la percepción subjetiva de dicha calidad intrínseca, determinan el valor de mercado de los inmuebles. A partir de este planteamiento ,la hipótesis central postula de manera preliminar que la calidad percibida del material,tanto por oferentes como por demandantes, es un factor que depende de la interrelación compleja de su atractivo estético, teniendo en cuenta el nivel de aceptación de los materiales por la sociedad y la calidad técnica del mismo, siendo este último un factor dependiente de su localización en la vivienda. La investigación se ha estructurado en 2 apartados. En el primero, se establece la fase documental en donde se recopila la información encontrada en artículos, tesis, revistas, libros relacionados con el tema y estudios previos relacionados con el planteamiento del problema. De esta manera, se marca el punto de partida para el desarrollo de este trabajo de investigación y se aborda la argumentación teórica, en donde se expone la teoría del valor- utilidad des de la perspectiva objetiva y subjetiva de la estimación del valor de mercado. El segundo apartado se encuentra divido en dos etapas: En la primera, se trata de conseguir una aproximación al índice sintético de la calidad percibida respecto a los materiales en la edificación,siendo la técnica estadística multivariante con Statistical Package for Social Sciences la metodología utilizada para la investigación. A tales efectos ,se han diseñado 2 encuestas a partir de una muestra de 400 usuarios y 35 expertos en edificación durante el 2009, implementándose la investigación en España y más concretamente en la provincia de Alicante (Comunidad Valenciana). La segunda etapa se centra en realizar una validación de dicha aproximación al índice sintético de la calidad percibida durante el 2011. En este sentido, se consideró oportuno partir de una muestra de 108 encuestas para usuarios y 101 encuestas para expertos en edificación, realizadas ambas en la misma localización geográfica en donde se lleva a cabo la segunda parte del estudio. Cabe señalar que la metodología utilizada para esta última parte de la investigación ha sido la Adaptative Conjoint Analysis con el objetivo de obtener la valoración estandarizada general de las utilidades parciales de los atributos asociados a la percepción sobre los materiales de construcción del bien vivienda ,para uso de pavimentos y revestimientos verticales interiores, en base a la maximización de las preferencias de la demanda. Las 2 metodologías utilizadas tienen como finalidad el encontrar el patrón de distribución de la calidad percibida de los materiales de construcción en el uso residencial y ver cuáles son los pesos implícitos del atractivo estético y de la calidad técnica del material. En síntesis, la investigación permite aunar dos grandes líneas de investigación, como son la disciplina de los materiales de construcción y la disciplina de la valoración inmobiliaria.
La tesi di Dottorato che di seguito è presentata è stata sviluppata presso il Departamento de Tecnología de la Arquitectura (TA), della Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Barcelona, nel programma di Dottorato in Gestión y Valoración Urbana y Arquitectónica presso la Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña. Questa tesi si propone di dimostrare, teoricamente ed empiricamente, l’influenza della qualità percepita dei materiali da costruzione ad uso residenziale nella determinazione della stima del valore di mercato, per un suo successivo utilizzo all’interno della stima comparativa. A questo fine è stato, prima di tutto, costruito un indice sintetico della qualità percepita dei materiali ad uso residenziale, che è servito come strumento per facilitare e migliorare la procedura estimativa basata sul principio comparativo in campo immobiliare. Attualmente, la disciplina della valutazione non include, all’interno delle sue procedure, un indicatore multidimensionale relativo alla qualità dei materiali. Questa mancanza ha un impatto notevole durante il processo di determinazione del valore di mercato di un immobile, sia da un punto di vista più oggettivo, sia dal lato della percezione soggettiva del consumatore. Coerentemente a questo primo obiettivo, l’ipotesi fondamentale è che la qualità percepita dei materiali di finitura sia, per i venditori come per gli acquirenti, un fattore che dipende – tenuto conto del livello di accettazione di un certo materiale da parte della società – dalla complessa interazione dell’aspetto estetico e della qualità tecnica, essendo quest’ultima un fattore legato, a sua volta, alla posizione di un materiale all’interno di un determinato ambiente, come, ad esempio, è quello domestico. La ricerca è stata strutturata in due principali sezioni. Nella prima, si stabilisce lo stato dell’arte e l’avanzamento della disciplina su questo argomento attraverso una documentazione costituita da articoli, lavori di tesi, riviste e testi relativi al contesto nazionale e internazionale. In questo modo, si pongono le basi per lo sviluppo del lavoro di ricerca e si affronta l’argomento da un punto di vista più teorico, rifacendosi alla teoria del valore-utilità in una prospettiva oggettiva/soggettiva La seconda sezione è suddivisa, a sua volta, in due parti: nella prima, si è cercato di ottenere un indice sintetico della qualità percepita dei materiali da costruzione attraverso una tecnica statistica multivariata, implementata per mezzo del software IBM-SPSS Statistics 20. A tal fine, si sono progettate due indagini, la prima basata su un campione di 400 utenti e 35 esperti in costruzioni, intervistati nel corso del 2009, implementando la ricerca in Spagna e in particolare nella provincia di Alicante (Comunità Valenciana); la seconda si è invece concentrata sulla validazione di questo primo approccio ed è stata sviluppata nel corso del 2011. A questo proposito, si è ritenuto opportuno partire da un campione di 108 interviste di utenti e da 101 interviste di esperti in costruzioni, entrambi localizzati nella stessa posizione geografica dell’analisi precedente. Questa volta, la metodologia utilizzata è stata tuttavia differente; si è scelto di impiegare la Adaptive Conjoint Analysis, che ha lo scopo di ottenere una valutazione standardizzata globale delle utilità parziali degli attributi associati alla percezione dei materiali da costruzione ad uso residenziale, per pavimentazione e finiture d’interni, basata sull’analisi delle preferenze dei consumatori. Le due metodologie utilizzate, in questa seconda fase, sono state scelte al fine di pervenire a un modello idoneo di valutazione della qualità percepita dei materiali da costruzione ad uso residenziale, calcolando i pesi impliciti del fattore estetico e della qualità tecnica dei singoli tipi di rivestimento. In sintesi, la ricerca consente di porre a confronto due aree disciplinari differenti, come la scienza dei materiali da costruzione e la valutazione immobiliare. Pertanto, essa potrebbe essere considerata come uno studio pilota con lo scopo di incentivare successive applicazioni basate sulla stima comparativa del valore di mercato. Nel caso del nostro paese e in particolare nel caso della provincia di Alicante, i risultati di questo studio potrebbero costituire una fonte di informazione aggiornata per l’utilizzo dei nuovi materiali da costruzione nell’architettura levantina.

Well-being is a complex phenomenon. Multidimensionality is recognized in literature as its main feature. This phenomenon is in some aspects elusive and difficult to monitor, and the definition is the combination of heterogeneous components, which assume different meanings in different contexts. A universally accepted definition of well-being does not exist (yet): each country (or areas) attributes importance to dimensions that for others may not be as relevant, consistent with their culture and social dynamics. Accurate measurement of well-being is a prerequisite for the implementation of effective welfare policies, which, through targeted actions in the most critical areas, are geared to the progressive improvement of living conditions. Until some time ago, such a plurality of components was poorly valued, believing that the only income dimension could represent in an exhaustive way such a complex reality. For many years, GDP (Gross Domestic Product) has been an indisputable landmark for states all over the world, playing the key role in defining, implementing and evaluating the effects of government action. Recently, the international debate has questioned the supremacy of GDP, and initiatives have been launched which, through the involvement of a growing number of countries, aim to develop alternative ways of measuring well-being that assign the same value to its components, Economic, Social and Environmental. Since well-being, as mentioned above, is a multidimensional phenomenon then it cannot be measured by a single descriptive indicator and that it should be represented by multiple dimensions. It requires, to be measured, the “combination” of different dimensions, to be considered together as components of the phenomenon (Mazziotta and Pareto, 2013). This combination can be obtained by applying methodologies known as composite indicators (Salzman, 2003; Mazziotta and Pareto, 2011; Diamantopoulos et al., 2008). In this ever-evolving scenario, the Italian experience is represented by the BES (Equitable and Sustainable Well-Being) project that is now considered globally as the most advanced experience of study and analysis. It consists in a dashboard of 134 individual indicators distributed in 12 domains. In the last three BES reports, published in December 2015, 2016 and 2017 by Istat (Italian Institute of Statistics) (Istat, 2015; Istat, 2016; Istat 2017), composite indicators at regional level and over time were calculated for the 9 outcome domains, creating a unique precedent in the official statistics at international level. Recently, the debate has become from a scientific to a policy scope: parliamentary and local administrators are affirming the necessity to link the Istat well-being indicators to interventions/actions in the socio-economic field, thus constructing an even stronger connection between official statistics and policy evaluation. In fact, the Italian Parliament has finally approved on 2016 July 28 the reform of the Budget Law, in which it is expected that the BES indicators, selected by an ad hoc Committee, are included in the Document of Economics and Finance (DEF). The new regulations also provide that by February 15th of each year Parliament receives by the Minister of Economy a report on the evolution of the BES indicators. A Committee for equitable and sustainable well-being indicators is established, chaired by the Minister of Economics and composed by the President of Istat, the Governor of the Bank of Italy and two experts coming from universities or research institutions (Mazziotta, 2017). The project, from national, is becoming local and already several local authorities, although they not have legislative obligations, are studying the well-being indicators of their territory. With these assumptions, it seems necessary to calculate well-being measures for all Italian municipalities so that administrators and citizens can dispose of them to understand and decide better policies. Since the current statistical surveys do not provide socio-economic indicators disaggregated at municipalities level (Census is the only source, every ten years and it does not collect all the information contained in the BES), it is necessary to use administrative sources, hopefully, collected in informative systems. The thesis wants to present an experimental statistics conducted on all the municipalities of Italy where nine domains of BES are selected (Population, Health, Education, Labour, Economic well-being, Environment, Economy on the territory, Research and Innovation, Infrastructure and Mobility) and the twenty individual indicators are selected so that they can represent the phenomenon at the municipal level. The individual indicators are calculated starting from administrative sources and then composite indicators are computed in order to have a unidimensional measure. The theoretical framework adopted is represented, therefore, by the conceptual and methodological one developed by Istat and CNEL (National Council of Economy and Labour) for the BES project (Istat, 2015). The structure of the domains and the selection of indicators are derived from the national BES. In each of the domains, some individual indicators are selected so that the starting matrix has 7,998 rows (the municipalities) and a variable numbers of columns (the indicators). A Composite indicator for each domain is calculated and then a unique composite indicator that synthesizes all the composite indicators is computed. Different composite indicators are calculated in order to assess the robustness of the methodologies. The results present interesting reflections also in the key of economic planning. Therefore, the aim of the thesis is to provide socio-economic indicators for measuring well-being at the municipal level. To achieve this goal it is necessary to define a theoretical framework, to build indicators matrix at the municipal level, to calculate composite indicators in order to obtain a simpler reading and interpretation of the data. The four chapters of the paper are designed to answer these research questions. The thesis is divide in two parts. The first, Theories and Methods, is composed by two chapters: “Theoretical framework: GDP versus well-being” in which recent well-being theories are presented with a view to supporting GDP; “Composite indicators: theories and methods” in which all the techniques for constructing composite indicators are presented in order to understand how synthesize data and measure multidimensional socio-economic phenomena. The second part, “Application to administrative data”, is composed by two chapters: Administrative data sources in which the data base ARCHIMEDE is described; Well-being of Italian municipalities where a robust composite indicator is applied to the domains and individual indicators in order to have a measure of well-being for all Italian municipalities. The analysis of the results leads to original conclusions in which the application of particular data classification methodologies contributes to the discussion concerning the use of databases from administrative sources for local economic planning based on well-being.

Esta dissertação tem como objecto de estudo a avaliação empírica do nível de desenvolvimento de países/regiões, percepcionado no seu sentido mais amplo. Procuramos, primeiramente, transmitir uma noção abrangente do desenvolvimento através do concurso de um vasto e diferenciado leque de perspectivas teóricas, centradas na dimensão económica do conceito, e distintas abordagens de alargamento do seu espectro conceptual. Em sequência, propomos uma nomenclatura do desenvolvimento composta por oito dimensões cruciais, visando desenvolver uma análise de natureza metodológica. Preconizamos duas ópticas de medição complementares – uma que explora, de forma individual, cada uma das dimensões do desenvolvimento, considerando conjuntos de indicadores que captam cada uma delas e outra que analisa, conjuntamente, essas diferentes dimensões mediante a utilização de um indicador compósito do desenvolvimento. Tomando-as por suporte, a análise desenvolvida desdobra-se em duas vertentes nucleares. Em primeiro lugar, promovemos uma discussão crítica das metodologias/indicadores passíveis de captar as componentes integrantes do desenvolvimento, de forma compósita ou desagregada. Damos cumprimento ao objectivo traçado, avaliando 54 índices de desenvolvimento e diversos domínios de investigação económica de enfoque metodológico, habitualmente isolados. Em segundo lugar, aplicamos esse debate metodológico a um caso concreto. Por um lado, seleccionamos um leque de indicadores para uma leitura desagregada e compósita do desenvolvimento, ilustrando-o com base em evidência para Portugal. Por outro, exploramos questões metodológicas e propomos indicadores face a limitações ou vertentes menos exploradas dos/pelos contributos disponíveis/predominantes. O recurso a micro-dados e a realização de um inquérito à opinião pública estão na base dos contributos mais inovadores, aplicados ao caso português.
This dissertation centers on the empirical evaluation of countries/regions’ levels of development, viewed as broadly as possible. By looking at both a wide variety of distinct theoretical perspectives focused on the economic dimension of the concept and approaches to its enlargement we attempt to convey a comprehensive notion of development. Accordingly, the measurement methodology of development is based on a nomenclature that disaggregates the concept into eight dimensions. We focus on two complementary measurement approaches – one assesses each dimension of development through the use of a number of indicators for each individual dimension and the other evaluates these different dimensions simultaneously, using a composite indicator of development. An assessment is carried out on the methodological issues and indicators involved in the measurement of development and its constituent items taking both approaches into account. We rely on a list of 54 development indices and a range of specialized areas of economic research in measurement to that end. An application of this research based on evidence from Portugal encompasses a selection of both specialized indicators for the measurement of development and those that will make up part of the index. Furthermore, we propose methodological procedures and indicators in an attempt to improve upon existing procedures. The major proposals are illustrated using micro-data from Portugal and a public-opinion survey conducted in Portugal.