Building a Social Progress-Adjusted Indicator of GDP Per Capita for the European Union’s Regions

Boosting economic, social and territorial cohesion is a high priority for the European Union. The regional Cohesion Policy is its instrument for achieving this objective, with GDP per capita being the principal criterion for funding allocation. However, social cohesion also embraces a comprehensive range of non-economic features. This paper proposes a composite indicator of GDP per capita adjusted for social progress that incorporates both economic and non-economic issues. Notably, the indicator can account for policymakers’ preferences regarding the relative importance assigned to income and social progress. This novel indicator is used to simulate the eligibility status of European Union regions for funding in several policy scenarios. Regions’ simulated eligibility is then compared with their current eligibility for the period 2021–2027. Based on that comparison, winner and loser regions are identified, thus providing policymakers in charge of the European Cohesion Policy with an insight into the effect of incorporating social progress into funding allocation.