QUALITY OF LIFE IN INNER AREAS A MULTI-METHOD AND CAPABILITIES-BASED ANALYSIS: EVIDENCE FROM BASILICATA REGION

This dissertation investigates the concept of quality of life in Italian inner areas through a multidimensional and territorially grounded perspective, adopting the Basilicata region as an empirical case study. Inner areas are characterized by demographic decline, limited accessibility to essential services, and structural socio-economic fragilities, yet they also preserve significant environmental, cultural, and social resources that may represent drivers for sustainable and place-based development. Despite growing academic and policy attention, the quality of life in these territories remains insufficiently explored, particularly through approaches capable of integrating objective and subjective dimensions, institutional viewpoints, and individual lived experiences. To address this gap, the thesis adopts the Capabilities Approach, originally developed by Amartya Sen and further articulated by Martha Nussbaum, as the main theoretical framework. This perspective shifts the focus from economic resources or subjective satisfaction alone to the real opportunities individuals have to pursue the lives they value, emphasizing the role of territorial conditions as conversion factors shaping people’s capabilities. Methodologically, the research follows a multi-method and sequential design, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. Three empirical studies were conducted in Basilicata. The first explores the perceptions of local administrators in order to identify the key dimensions that define quality of life in inner territories. Building on these findings and on Nussbaum’s capability framework, the second study develops and tests an empirical model to assess residents’ perceived quality of life. The third study employs Q-methodology to map the different narratives and interpretative frameworks through which mayors conceptualize well-being and local development. By integrating these perspectives, the dissertation highlights both convergences and divergences between institutional interpretations and residents’ lived experiences of well-being. The results underline the central role of access to services, social relationships, environmental quality, and opportunities for participation in shaping quality of life in fragile territories. The thesis contributes to the literature in three main ways: (i) by proposing a contextual and place-based interpretation of quality of life grounded in the perceptions of local actors; (ii) by developing an empirical capabilities-based measurement model tailored to inner areas; and (iii) by fostering a dialogue between institutional narratives and residents’ evaluations of well-being. Overall, the research advances the theoretical debate on multidimensional well-being while offering policy-relevant insights for the design of more equitable and territorially sensitive development strategies for peripheral regions.