Social Progress Index in the context of regional development at the district level in the Košice region

Abstract

Composite indicators have recently gained substantial interest for assessing people’s quality of life. While initial efforts have focused on the macro level of countries, lately these approaches have also been applied on more granular, local levels of administration. Among these approaches the Social Progress Index stands out as an applied policy tool with unique methodology and design principles. This paper documents the application of the Social Progress Index for the district level in the Košice region. The Index was applied to the entire territory of the Košice Region, which includes 11 districts and covers the period of six years 2015–2020. The indicators selected into the Index framework reflect the general principles of the SPI: they are non-economic (i.e. social or environmental), out-come-oriented, relevant to all units of observation (i.e. districts), and actionable. The results of the 2020 Košice Social Progress Index reveal a varying degree of societal outcomes across the districts. The highest performing districts of the region are the municipalities of Košice, where the Košice I district achieves the highest overall performance and Kosice II records the lowest performance within the city. The districts of Gelnica and Trebišov achieve the lowest Index score in the region. All districts of the Košice Region achieved an improvement in the Index over 2015–2020. The most significant change in SPI was in Košice IV district, in contrast, Gelnica district recorded the lowest growth. By discussing the methodology, challenges and top level results, the paper contributes to a greater understanding of the needs and challenges of regional development in the region of Košice and to the application of composite indicators on local levels. The Index provides a basis for local and regional governments for planning and decision-making activities and for better public policies to reduce regional disparities and improve quality of life.