In recent decades there has been an increasing academic interest on the concept of economic development the main factors which influence the development potential of economies. As a result, conceptual discussions include also the identification of new ways of measurement which can provide a more integrated view of economic development than conventional indicators such as GDP or GDP/capita.
These discussions are often described in the relevant literature as "beyond GDP" approaches (http://www.beyond-gdp.eu/). Human capabilities appear among the factors that have been gaining importance over the last two decades, often viewed as a crucial factor in development, while at the regional level in particular, they are probably more important than physical capital itself. Yet, their contribution to economic development and disparities has not been reflected adequately to new ways of measurement and the elaboration of new indicators.
Therefore, the main objective of the proposed project is the identification of the role of human capabilities to economic development and to regional disparities.
We aim to contribute to the relevant literature by providing concrete evidence on the impact of human capabilities to regional disparities, by identifying and analysing the mechanisms through which human capabilities affect the development potential and by elaborating appropriate indicators that can incorporate the multiple dimensions of regional disparities.
The project will be divided into five main workpackages.
- WP1 is horizontal and focuses on the theories of regional inequalities, their conceptualization and measurement.
- WP2 deals with regional inequalities in Greece and the role of employment.
- WP3 will analyze the role of human capabilities on spatial organization.
- WP4 will deal with a number of case studies of local initiatives, while
- WP5 will analyze the role of education and migration in regional development.