Design and validation of an index to measure development in rural areas through stakeholder participation

This paper proposes the development of an index to assess rural based on a set 25 demographic, economic, environmental, and social welfare indicators previously selected through Delphi approach. Three widely accepted aggregation methods were then tested: mixed arithmetic/geometric mean without weightings for each indicator; weighted arithmetic using weights generated by panel Principal Component Analysis. These three methodologies later applied 9 Portuguese NUTS III regions most recent data available (2009–2020) results presented group experts in who indicated which best measured levels different territories. Finally, it was concluded that unweighted accurate methodology aggregating create Rural Development Index.