Stochastic multi-attribute acceptability analysis (SMAA): an application to the ranking of Italian regions
用随机多属性可接受性分析（SMAA）替代传统综合指数法，对意大利大区进行经济和社会指标排名，发现南北差距比GDP衡量的更宽，但南部也有表现较好的地区。
We consider the issue of ranking regions with respect to a range of economic and social variables. Departing from the current practice of aggregating different dimensions via a composite index, usually based on an arithmetic mean, we instead use stochastic multi-attribute acceptability analysis (SMAA). SMAA considers the ‘whole space’ of weights for the considered dimensions. The methodology is applied to the ranking of Italian regions, showing that although the north–south divide is definitely wider than the one measured simply in terms of gross domestic product. There are southern regions that perform generally better than those belonging to their broad region: a kind of ‘northern regions within the southern broad region’. This result poses interesting questions about the uneven development of Italian regions.