Analysis of Inequalities Between Territories

Abstract

This chapter is organised into a series of sections that will explain many conceptual and practical aspects of territorial imbalances. After an introductory Section 1, Section 2 will examine the importance of the territorial perspective in socio economic analyses, both for interpreting their spatial characteristics and for guiding decision making. Section 3 will explain the terms for debate on territorial imbalances. Section 4 will present various possibilities for spatiotemporal analyses relating to different geographical scales, ranging from that of Europe down to the municipal level. The units of analysis most commonly used are regional but, as we shall see, these can be subdivided into different levels. For these historical studies, we depend on the stability of borders and on the availability of data; these factors present a recurring problem throughout this book. At the EU level, a hierarchy of regions and local units was established in order to facilitate studies of the territorial reality; this served as a step prior to the management of financial aid. In fact, it was with this aim in mind that a hierarchical system was established for identifying different regional levels within the EU.