Ricerc@Sapienza

The aim of this paper is to define a system to measure well-being in the European countries by using synthetic indicators. In this perspective, we adopted the framework and the methodology of the Italian project BES (Sustainable and Equitable Well-being for Italy). The project, established by the Italian Institute of Statistics and the Council of Economics and Labour, is widely considered one of the most advanced among the several projects aimed at providing the countries with measures able to support policy decision in the beyond GDP perspective.

In recent years, sustainable development has become one of the main issues of scientific and institutional debate. The literature on this concept is wide and often presents conflicting positions. This leads to considering sustainable development as a contested concept. The growing interest and importance of this topic has also led to an increasing focus on the aspect of its measurement. Dealing with the measurement of complex phenomena, like sustainable development, means dealing with synthesis.