Joint analysis of structural models and performance
merging clustering and composite indicators in the analysis of Europe 2020 strategy
pp. 323-332
in: Filomena Maggino (ed), Complexity in society, Berlin, Springer, 2017Abstract
Representing synthetically the complexity of multidimensional phenomena is especially challenging when comparing different territorial areas, according to multiple factors. Attention can be focused either on the performance shown by Countries, usually evaluated through rankings, or on the structural models which characterize different compositions of the various indicators. We present here a technique which combines cluster analysis with the use of a composite indicator, thus permitting to classify Countries, both according to their structural characteristics and to their overall performance. We test the analysis on the Europe 2020 set of indicators, obtaining interesting results both with respect to the whole set of indicators and sub-sets regarding sustainability, smartness and inclusion.