Spatial inequalities in income and post-graduate educational attainment in Greece

Abstract

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This paper looks at the spatial inequalities of income and post-graduate educational attainment for Local Authorities in Greece. It also introduces a composite variable that is defined as the average of the standardized values of mean household income and high level of educational attainment (post-graduate degree holders). The explanatory analysis of these variables contributes to the literature of applied spatial analysis of socio-economic indicators at the local authority level in Greece. The latter has so far attracted little attention in the literature even though it is important for informed policy making decisions related to the local economic development in Greece. Another aim for creating the suggested composite variable, is for it to be used as an indicator for explaining spatial phenomena such as internal migration. Maps, and the corresponding exploratory analysis of the composite variable and its components, are shown in different sections of the main map. It is apparent that the Local Authorities in Greece, especially the affluent suburbs of the two metropolitan areas located within the prefectures of Attiki and Thessaloniki, exhibit the highest values of the composite variable. There is a strong North/South, Urban/Rural and Attica/Rest-of-the-country divide. However, smaller peripheral cities and some rural areas seem to perform relatively well compared with the country's average not fully following this divide, an unexpected finding.