DIFFERENCES IN INTRA-REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN PORTUGAL? A MULTIVARIATE APPROACH

Abstract

In Portugal, distribution of population and economic activity is strongly asymmetrical, creating significant development differences. Traditionally, a distinction is made, among others, between coastal and inland areas - the first is young, urban, dynamic and economically vibrant, and the second is aged, rural, declined and economically depressed. However, a detailed analysis shows that several inland and coastal areas are similar in their levels of development - territorial capital, meaning economic, social and environmental capital. The proposal of this study is to analyse the differences of development in Portuguese regions. The aim is to identify homogeneous areas, by differentiating and measuring the differences between areas more and less developed, be it in the coast or inland. The analysis of relevant variables will be made at the NUTS III level, with data from the last Portuguese CENSUS (2011). The statistical analysis is primarily based on descriptive statistics followed by multivariate data analysis.