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Quality of Life Experienced by Human Capital: An Assessment of European Cities

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  • Paulo Morais
  • Vera Miguéis
  • Ana Camanho

Abstract

This paper aims to provide an assessment of urban quality of life (QoL) of European cities from the perspective of qualified human resources. The competitiveness of cities relies increasingly in their capacity to attract highly educated workers, as they are important assets for firms when choosing a location. Qualified human resources, on the other hand, tend to value QoL over other urban features. This is why policymakers and urban planners need to evaluate QoL of cities and be provided with tools that can guide action to improvements in this area. We assess urban QoL by means of a composite indicator constructed using data envelopment analysis, based on Urban Audit data and Mercer’s framework of analysis, to give account of 246 European cities. Besides presenting a ranking of the best and the worst scores of QoL, this methodology allows benchmarking strategies. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2013

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  • Paulo Morais & Vera Miguéis & Ana Camanho, 2013. "Quality of Life Experienced by Human Capital: An Assessment of European Cities," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 110(1), pages 187-206, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:110:y:2013:i:1:p:187-206
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-011-9923-5
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    9. Enrico Ivaldi & Guido Bonatti & Riccardo Soliani, 2014. "Composite Index for Quality of Life in Italian Cities: An Application to URBES Indicators," Review of Economics & Finance, Better Advances Press, Canada, vol. 4, pages 18-32, November.
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    13. Ana Paula Barreira & Carla Amado & Sérgio Santos & Jorge Andraz & Maria Helena Guimarães, 2021. "Assessment and Determinants of the Quality of Life in Portuguese Cities," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 44(6), pages 647-683, November.
    14. Susana Iglesias-Antelo & Vicente López-López & Antonio Vázquez-Sanmartín, 2021. "Assessing the Influence of Strategic Resources on the Quality of Life in Spanish Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-19, November.
    15. Esmaeilpoorarabi, Niusha & Yigitcanlar, Tan & Guaralda, Mirko & Kamruzzaman, Md., 2018. "Evaluating place quality in innovation districts: A Delphic hierarchy process approach," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 471-486.
    16. Esmaeilpoorarabi, Niusha & Yigitcanlar, Tan & Guaralda, Mirko & Kamruzzaman, Md., 2018. "Does place quality matter for innovation districts? Determining the essential place characteristics from Brisbane’s knowledge precincts," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 734-747.
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    18. Morrison, Nicola & Szumilo, Nikodem, 2019. "Universities’ global research ambitions and their localised effects," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 290-301.
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    20. Mariano, Enzo Barberio & Sobreiro, Vinicius Amorim & Rebelatto, Daisy Aparecida do Nascimento, 2015. "Human development and data envelopment analysis: A structured literature review," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 33-49.
    21. Comim, Flavio & Hirai, Tadashi, 2022. "Sustainability and Human Development Indicators: A Poset Analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    22. Beatriz Valcárcel-Aguiar & Pilar Murias & David Rodríguez-González, 2018. "Sustainable Urban Liveability: A Practical Proposal Based on a Composite Indicator," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-18, December.
    23. Yang, Xiaodong & Liu, Xia & Ran, Qiying & Razzaq, Asif, 2023. "How does natural resource dependence influence industrial green transformation in China? Appraising underlying mechanisms for sustainable development at regional level," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(PA).

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