Sustainable development indicators: the Italian equitable and sustainable wellbeing approach and its application to the local level

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present both the methods through which sustainable wellbeing is measured on a local level and to improve its adherence to the subjective well-being of the community under study. The fi rst part of the paper introduces the features and the assumptions generally adopted in literature to measure the progress towards sustainable development on a local level with special regards to the role of subjective perception. These assumptions are the basis of the Italian equitable, and sustainable well-being indicators framework (B-BES) used to measure the progress of communities. It was applied to a small Italian town, Ceccano, and was supported by a further innovative survey, the virtual budget, directed to measure the subjective  references. Thanks to the virtual budget, it was possible to identify differences between the subjective preferences of respondents and the ex-ante results of the B-BES model. The approach used allows for better implementation of indicators on a local level by improving the  indicators framework’s consistency with the local specifi city, preferences and aspirations.