New Measure of Economic Development Based on the Four-Colour Theorem

Area of Science:

• Spatial Economics
• Regional Science
• Public Administration

Background:

• The location quotient is a traditional but limited tool for identifying regional economic growth poles.
• Existing measures often fail to capture the complex interplay of factors influencing modern economic development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel, comprehensive indicator for measuring regional economic development.
• To enhance the identification of economic growth poles and development routes.

Main Methods:

• Developed a new measure incorporating public administration, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), digital prosumption, and participation platforms.
• Utilized cluster analysis to classify municipal public administration websites into four quality classes.
• Applied a color system based on the four-color theorem and dual graph theory to map and analyze regional economic development.

Main Results:

• The new indicator provides a more nuanced understanding of economic development by integrating diverse factors.
• Cluster analysis successfully categorized municipal websites, forming the basis for the new measure.
• The dual graph reduction method effectively identified regional growth poles and development routes, surpassing the location quotient.

Conclusions:

• The proposed measure offers a superior alternative to the traditional location quotient for assessing regional economic development.
• Integrating digital participation and public administration data provides valuable insights into economic growth dynamics.
• This approach enhances the precision in identifying and strategizing for economic growth poles and routes.