Abstract

In 2023 the Italian National Institute of Statistics (Istat), launched a new series of 20 coordinated yearly regional reports (one for each Italian region) called BesT Reports (from the Italian Benessere Equo e Sostenibile dei Territori, i.e. Equitable and Sustainable Well-being at Local level). BesT Reports are focused on a comprehensive analysis and reporting of well-being at the local level in Italy to provide a detailed assessment of equitable and sustainable well-being across sub-regional areas (NUTS3). The main challenge of this project was to apply methods that can handle the significant variability in the data at the level of small regions giving an overview without using composite indexes while ensuring that the results are clear and easy to non-expert audiences.
Methods applied to study territorial inequalities will be illustrated. This allows for the identification of disparities in well-being between different regions and sub-regions. The system encompasses a broad set of 70 measures, which are updated annually by Istat. This allows for in-depth profiling of local well-being and the identification of critical areas. Finally, the article illustrates the methods chosen for reporting, including the structure of the annual BesT reports, which were first released in late 2023. The reports provide a comprehensive overview of well-being at regional and sub-regional levels, with sections dedicated to mapping well-being, analysing each of the 11 specific Bes domains, comparing Italian regions with all the European Union counterparts, and contextualising local well-being profiles in light of the region’s features. Furthermore, the article discusses forthcoming developments aimed at refining methodologies and deepening measurement at a finer territorial detail so to enhance the relevance and utility of well-being data for policymakers and the public.