The measurement of deprivation: international comparisons

The term "deprivation" first emerged in the United Kingdom to characterize the unfavorable socioeconomic characteristics of the population of a particular geographic area (Rodero Cosano, 2015). Townsend (1987) defines deprivation through socioeconomic indicators, signaling a significant lack of minimum well-being for individuals or groups in relation to their society. This creates continuous conceptual challenges, as deprivation is conditioned by social context and poses an analytical challenge for
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geographically aggregated data (Carstairs & Morris, 1991; Testi & Ivaldi, 2009; Landi et al., 2018a).
The analysis of non-compensatory methods provide an alternative approach, avoiding the limitations of traditional methods (Ivaldi et al., 2017; Bruzzi et al., 2019). This approach provides a rigorous tool for public authorities to make rational choices about where and how to intervene, optimizing policy actions.