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A rank order and efficiency evaluation of the EU regions in a social framework

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Abstract

In this paper, methods of multi-criteria efficiency evaluation are implemented for ranking the socio-economic systems of the EU regions. The socio-economic rank order problem is a multi-criteria non-convex optimization problem that was solved by the implementation of a new efficiency evaluation, AOWI (Absolute Optimal Weights Index). The rank order of the 268 NUTS-2 regions from the 27 European Union countries in the social framework obtained on the basis of 16 socio-economical indicators illustrates social divergence within the European Union and in the new European Union regions.

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Notes

  1. Participation of the population aged between 25 and 64 in the measures of general and professional education, which took place in the 4 weeks before the inquiry.

  2. Stages 3–4 (ISCED, 1997).

  3. Stages 5–6 (ISCED, 1997).

  4. The employment rate of the 25–64 age group is the percentage of the general population between 25 and 64 years who are currently employed or are actively seeking employment.

  5. The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed workers divided by the total labor force, which includes all who are willing and able to work for pay—both unemployed and employed in the group of 15 years and older.

  6. http://www.coe.int/T/E/Social_cohesion/

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Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the participants of the Applied Research Seminar at IHS and two anonymous referees for their valuable and helpful comments as well as the Austrian National Bank for financial support and Prof. Robert Kunst for his attention during the preparation of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Advanced Studies, Stumpergasse 56, 1060, Vienna, Austria

    Tatjana Slavova

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  1. Tatjana Slavova
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Correspondence to Tatjana Slavova.

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Appendix

Table A1 Rank order of the European Union regions in terms of social framework
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Slavova, T. A rank order and efficiency evaluation of the EU regions in a social framework. Empirica 35, 339–367 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10663-008-9074-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10663-008-9074-3

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