The importance of human development index for Greece: an econometrical application in the greek regions

Abstract

According to Amartya Sen the objective of development is not to produce more "stuff,
goods and services, but rather to increase the capabilities of people to lead full, productive and
satisfying lives by realising their full potential.
United Nations - UNDP, in the context of United Nations Development Programme - has
played the lead role in shaping the future of human development. According to UNDP "people
are the real wealth of a nation. The basic objective of development is to create an enabling environment
for people to live long, healthy and creative lives" (HDRO 1990). The United Nations'
Human Development Index (HDI) "captures as many aspects of human development as possible
in one simple, composite index" (UNDP).
In UNDP reports on human development HDI is estimated at national level. This study
sets considerable emphasis on disaggregated level. The primary objective of the study is to
measure and describe the state of human development in Greek regions. The UNDP methodology
provided a useful model for constructing disaggregated HDI for these regions. The major
purpose of this study, using the United Nations Human Development reports as a model, is
to investigate the human development differences and disparities between Greek regions and
to present a first step in developing a way of assessing human development at a regional level
in Greece