In the latest edition of the Social Progress Index, developed by the experts of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness of the LIUC – Cattaneo University, the province of Varese advances by 6 positions, ranking 22nd in Italy for its ability to offer its citizens well-being and opportunities for fulfillment , as well as to guarantee basic needs. All elements on which to build a new attractiveness for people, talents, investments and startups
Six positions gained and an excellent 22nd place for the province of Varese in the latest edition of the Social Progress Index created by IEC – Institute for Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness of LIUC – Cattaneo University, on behalf of Confindustria Varese, as part of the #Varese2050 Strategic Plan . The Social Progress Index is the only non-economic tool for measuring social progress recognized internationally and based on a robust methodology built in over 20 years of research on the topic by the non-profit organization Social Progress Imperative, which has been implementing it since 2013 for 169 countries in the world and of which IEC is the Italian partner. Measuring the development of the territory by going “beyond the GDP”, beyond simple economic indices: this is the objective of the project. In fact, the economic development of a territory does not necessarily go hand in hand with the progress made in the social and environmental fields. This means that an increase in per capita income may not automatically correspond to a widespread improvement in the aspects that determine people’s quality of life. Recalling the opening words of Nicolas Sarkozy to the commission on “Measurement of economic performance and social progress” chaired by Nobel Prize winners Joseph Stiglitz, Amartya Sen and the French economist Jean-Paul Fitoussi, “we will not change our behavior if we do not change the how we measure our economic performance.”
Today, to be attractive to people, talents, investments, startups, a territory must also be able to work on its social dimension, according to a principle of competitiveness that looks not only at its own businesses, but also at the standard of living of its citizens. How, then, can interventions be directed and action guided in the territories and communities to improve the well-being of the population? Starting by measuring the 3 dimensions that make up social progress: fundamental human needs, foundations of well-being, opportunities. A total of 12 components and 62 final indicators for each of the 107 Italian provinces. How does Varese rank in the national ranking? 2024 marks a clear advancement in the ranking for the province of Varese, thanks to an improvement in performance especially in the first dimension of the index, that of fundamental human needs, where it gains 9 positions and a further progression of 6 positions in the third dimension, that of opportunities. This compensates for the loss, instead, of 6 positions in the second pillar of the Social Progress Index, the one linked to the foundations of well-being. Let’s find out in more detail the province’s performance in each dimension of the index (in the infographic, the complete scorecard of the province in which it is reported for each dimension, component and indicator that make up the Index, the overall score, the positioning in the national ranking, and a comparison of the performance with respect to the other provinces of Lombardy. The latter is represented by a 3-color traffic light: green if the performance of the province of Varese is better than the regional one; yellow if neutral, i.e. in line with the regional average; red if lower).
Basic human needs
Thanks to a significant improvement in the results obtained by the province in some components, Varese reaches 12th position in the dimension of basic human needs, almost reaching the top 10. It improves above all in the dimension related to the management of water and territorial sanitation services (+21 positions) and in that relating to “shelter”, or the availability for citizens of adequate, safe and economically sustainable living spaces, where an increase of 29 positions brings the province to 42nd position. The component related to safety worsens slightly, which however remains the one in which the province is positioned best. Although it has lost 6 positions, it remains, in fact, tenth at a national level. Penalizing the territory, a sustained worsening in road safety and in particular in youth mortality in road accidents (-23 positions).
Fundamentals of Wellbeing
Of the 3 dimensions of the Social Progress Index, the one related to the foundations of well-being is the only one to register a decline. In fact, the province has lost 6 positions compared to the previous year, slipping to 26th place nationally. In this dimension, Varese confirms itself among the best provinces in Italy with regard to access to knowledge, where it is 18th in the national ranking, although losing 3 positions, and in the one related to health and well-being, where it remains 12th despite a drop of 2 positions compared to last year. In these 2 dimensions, Varese stands out in Italy mainly for the level of literacy skills (9th), numerical skills (18th), as well as for the sportsmanship index, where, although slightly declining, it is confirmed in the national top 10, in 9th place. The dimension related to environmental quality is improving, demonstrating all the efforts and progress made by companies and stakeholders in the area on the path towards the sustainability of products and processes. Varese gains 6 positions thanks to an advancement especially in air quality (PM10 and PM2.5) and in the management of urban waste. There is still ample room for maneuver, however, in terms of renewable energy (where Varese is only 97th, down 2 positions) and in the availability of urban greenery (where losing one position it drops to 69th place).
Sixtieth place in the ranking for the dimension of access to information. Despite good broadband availability (Fttc), the province still demonstrates difficulties in making progress towards greater digitalisation of its administrative and government activities. If we look at the ICity rank, Varese confirms itself in the second half of the national ranking, in 78th position, following a drop of 10 positions compared to the previous edition.
Opportunity
In the dimension related to opportunities, which measures the territory’s ability to offer equal opportunities to its citizens to assert themselves in the personal, professional and educational spheres, Varese climbs 6 positions, thus arriving at the 43rd place nationally. Driving the climb in the rankings is an advancement in the dimensions related to freedom and personal choice (48th, up 5 positions) and that related to advanced education (where it gains 6 positions and is now 35th). Going into even more detail of each component, we note that the province has substantially improved its positioning with respect to the incidence of Neet (people who do not work, do not study and do not look for work) on the population, where it has climbed 20 positions, arriving this year in 13th position and in participation in continuing education, where thanks to a jump of 39 positions, it is now 31st in Italy. However, there is still ample room for improvement in the province’s ability to reduce the Gender Pay Gap (77th), improve childcare services (70th) and expand cultural offerings (67th). The dimensions related to personal rights and inclusiveness have slightly worsened, where the province has lost 2 and 3 positions, respectively. Varese is confirmed among the last positions in Italy for the participation of young people in public administration (91st) and has significantly worsened its performance in terms of Gender Gap also in participation in the world of work, where it has dropped by 26 positions (60th).
Overall, therefore, a good result for the province of Varese that demonstrates and confirms its commitment to improving the quality of life of its citizens. The results of the Social Progress Index must help the stakeholders of the territory to identify the elements and areas on which to invest and work together, dictating the priorities of intervention. The progressive implementation of the Strategic Plan #Varese2050, proceeds precisely in this direction.
