ROMANIAN RURAL AREA TYPOLOGY ROMANIAN RURAL AREA TYPOLOGY BY THE INEQUALITY LEVELBY THE INEQUALITY LEVEL

- A MULTICRITERIAL APPROACH –- A MULTICRITERIAL APPROACH –

Monica Mihaela TudorMonica Mihaela Tudor

Institute of Agricultural EconomicsBucharest, Romania

One of the most important aspects of the One of the most important aspects of the economic and social rhetoric in the last economic and social rhetoric in the last

years, in academic and political circles is years, in academic and political circles is SOCIO-ECONOMIC INEQUALITY:SOCIO-ECONOMIC INEQUALITY:

• complexity and dimension of the inter-individual complexity and dimension of the inter-individual inequalitiesinequalities

• interdependence between the different aspects interdependence between the different aspects governing people’s livesgoverning people’s lives

• impact of theimpact of the inequalityes inequalityes upon human upon human development in general development in general

Project description

Title: “Economic-social models to attenuate the inequalities in the rural areas by regions”

Period: 2008 – 2011Financed by : Romanian Ministry of Education and Research

“Partnership” Program

Coordinator of the project: Institute of Agricultural Economics, Bucharest

Partners:Academy of Agricultural Sciences, BucharestInstitute of Economic and Social Research, IasiUniversity of Pitesti

Inequality - definition

• Inequality in opportunities Inequality in opportunities between between communes communes

• Deprivation in outcomes, Deprivation in outcomes, particularly in particularly in

health, education and consumption levelhealth, education and consumption level

Objectives

I. Identify major sources of inequality in the Romanian rural area

II. The theoretical model aggregating the rural inequality indicators was constructed on the basis of

those aspects of inequality with the greatest mutual driving force and permits the evaluation of the socio-economic inequality level that the population in a given area is facing.

III. Typology of the Romanian rural area by rural inequality level

Methodology

• Diagnosis analyses of the Romanian rural areaDiagnosis analyses of the Romanian rural area –

-identification of a set of socio-economic dimensions describing the condition and extent of rural

inequality

• FactorialFactorial analysesanalyses

- identify major sources of inequality in the Romanian rural area

• Cluster Cluster methodmethod- The hierarchy of rural communities by the socio-

economic inequality level reveals the areas that are most vulnerable to the inequality risk

I. I. Identify major sources of inequality in the Rural Romania Identify major sources of inequality in the Rural Romania (1)(1)

MATRIX OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC INEQUALITY CRITERIA MATRIX OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC INEQUALITY CRITERIA

Criterion 1: TERRITORY EQUIPMENT – provides information on the on-dwelling comfort; rural technical infrastructure as support to rural development – to business environment included.

Criterion 2: DEMO-SOCIAL DIMENSION – provides information on the local demographic perspectives, on the disintegration of family values, living attractiveness of the zone and the socio-economic opportunities that the respective area is presumed to provide, etc.

Criterion 3: SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE – provides information on the educational and health infrastructure and them adequacy for the community needs; potential access to ICT, etc.

Criterion 4: ECONOMIC DIMENSION – provides information on paid job access opportunities and the rural population’s dependence on the social transfers and agriculture, agricultural land operation intensification, development of economic activities complementary to agriculture, the abilities to promote rural services complementary to agriculture, etc.

Criterion 5: INVESTMENTS – reveals the projection on the future development potential of the rural community, etc.

On the basis of the diagnosis analyses by regions, a set of five criteria has been selected describing and conditioning the rural inequality level in Romania.

I. I. Identify major sources of inequality in the rural Romania (2)Identify major sources of inequality in the rural Romania (2)

Each criterion is associated to a number of indicators that describe the inequality level, calculated at the level of commune, on the basis of available statistical data from the NIS local database 2008

Criteria Indicators% in total variation of cumulated

inequality

indicators cumulated by criteria

TERRITORY EQUIPMENT

Living floor/inhabitant (m²/inhabitant) 1.86

24.76

Drinking water quantity supplied to domestic users (m³/inhabitant) 10.6510.65

Simple length of drinking water supply network – km 2.64Simple length of sewerage network - km 3.01Simple length of natural gas supply pipelines - km 6.596.59

DEMO-SOCIAL DIMENSION

Natural increase/1000 inhabitants 5.67

31.3831.38Divorces/1000 inhabitants 3.70Change of domicile balance/1000 inhabitants 2.64Change of residence balance/1000 inhabitants 14.0014.00External migration balance/1000 inhabitants 5.37

SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Enrolled pupils/teacher 5.2117.12Inhabitants/physician 3.81

PC/1000 inhabitants 8.108.10

ECONOMIC DIMENSION

Number of employees/1000 inhabitants 4.80

23.11

% arable land in agricultural land 4.22% area under vineyards and orchards in total agricultural land area 4.36

Average number of beds/ accommodation unit 6.466.46Number of nights spent in accommodation units in 2008 / bed 3.28

INVESTMENTS Dwellings finished in 2008 / 1000 existing dwellings 3.63 3.63

Importance of socio-economic inequality criteria and indicators in explaining the general variation of the inequality level between rural communities in Romania

3122

14

26

7

1 2 3 4 5

28 2822

20

2

1 2 3 4 5

2319 21

31

7

1 2 3 4 5

2317 19

38

3

1 2 3 4 5

2924

1319

14

1 2 3 4 5

19 2116

30

15

1 2 3 4 5

21 2313

42

21 2 3 4 5

48

1016 13 13

1 2 3 4 5

Socio-economic inequality criteria

  TERRITORY EQUIPMENT

 DEMO-SOCIAL DIMENSION

 SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE

  ECONOMIC DIMENSION

  INVESTMENTS

Importance of socio-economic inequality criteria by regions

(% in total variation of cumulated inequality)(% in total variation of cumulated inequality)

III. Typology of the Romanian rural area by rural inequality level (1)

According to the cumulated intensity of the manifestation of

the factors that describe the socio-economic inequalities :

Community profile of rural inequality in Romania

rural communities characterized by a lower rural socio-economic inequality level

(cluster I – 20.5% of communes)

rural communities characterized by a medium rural socio-economic inequality level

(cluster II – 40.7% of communes)

rural communities characterized by a higher rural socio-economic inequality level

(cluster III– 38.8% of communes).

III. Typology of the Romanian rural area by rural inequality level(2)

Criteria IndicatorsCluster

Total ruralI II III

TERRITORY EQUIPMENT

Living area/inhabitant (square meters/inhabitant) 17.4 16.5 14.4 15.9

Drinking water quantity supplied to domestic consumers (m³/inhabitant) 33.533.5 14.6 5.1 14.8

Simple length of drinking water distribution network–km 19.819.8 11.5 4.9 10.6

Simple length of sewerage system – km 2.8 0.3 0.2 0.8

Simple length of natural gas supply pipelines - km. 9.79.7 5.3 0.8 4.4

DEMO-SOCIAL DIMENSION

Natural population increase/1000 inhabitants -3.91 -6.83 -4.59 -5.36

Divorces/1000 inhabitants 1.14 1.10 1.05 1.09

Balance of change of domicile/1000 inhabitants 11.111.1 3.1 2.5 4.5

Balance of change of residence /1000 inhabitants -1.15 -3.68 -3.17 -2.96

External migration balance /1000 inhabitants -0.034 -0.002 -0.034 -0.019

SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Enrolled pupils/teacher 9.8 8.7 10.6 9.7

Inhabitants / physician 1779 1763 2228 1947

PC/1000 inhabitants 8.3 8.4 7.2 7.9

ECONOMIC DIMENSION

Number of employees/1000 inhabitants 129.4 62.3 49.0 70.9

% arable land in agricultural area 49.7 50.4 76.9 60.5

% area under vineyards and orchards in total agricultural area 6.9 2.6 2.5 3.4

Average number of beds / accommodation unit 20.820.8 1.4 0.8 5.1

Number of nights spent on accommodation units in 2008 / accommodation bed 34.134.1 1.5 0.8 7.9

INVESTMENTS Dwellings finished in 2008 / 1000 existing dwellings 15.915.9 3.6 4.9 6.6

Average value of rural inequality matrix indicators by clusters

Conclusions

• The hierarchy of the main inequality sources in Romania’s rural area led to the conclusion that the element that mostly conditions the socio-economic inequality in rural Romania is those regarding the demographic disequilibriademographic disequilibria (demo-social (demo-social dimension)dimension). .

• This is followed, as source of socio-economic inequality:

- Territory equipmentTerritory equipment- Economic development of the area Economic development of the area providing job opportunitiesproviding job opportunities - Social infrastructureSocial infrastructure- Investments Investments

Conclusions

• The rural communities characterized by a MEDIUM and LOW level of rural socio-economic inequality (Cluster II and I):

→ from the point of view of territorial distribution are mainly found in the mountain and plateau area;

→ these communes have a wide range of resources that provide them occupational opportunities.

Conclusions

The rural communities that cumulate the most economic and social vulnerability sources (cluster III) are:

• Grouped into relatively compact areas,

• These are, in general, communes located in the plain areas, whose local economies highly depend on agriculture,

• Providing relatively few opportunities for ascending occupational mobility as the nearest areas are also less attractive to investors .

Urgent corrective interventions are needed in these rural areas in order to remove the sources of social inequalities as there is the risk of an increase in the negative social and economic

effects translated into the absence of available resources and access to resources that should sustain an acceptable human

development for the 21st century.

CRISAN COMMUNECRISAN COMMUNE is located in TULCEA countyTULCEA county

According to the cumulated intensity of the manifestation of the factors that describe the socio-economic inequalities

CRISAN COMMUNE IS INCLUDED IN CLUSTER ICRISAN COMMUNE IS INCLUDED IN CLUSTER I

rural communities characterized by a lower lower rural socio-economic inequality level

Criteria Indicators

ClusterTotal rural

Crisan 2008

Crisan

2011I II III

TERRITORY EQUIPMENT

Living area/inhabitant (square meters/inhabitant) 17.4 16.5 14.4 15.9 22.322.3 24.024.0

Drinking water quantity supplied to domestic consumers (m³/inhabitant) 33.533.5 14.6 5.1 14.8 37.637.6 61.361.3

Simple length of drinking water distribution network–km 19.819.8 11.5 4.9 10.6 11.4 19.4

Simple length of sewerage system – km 2.8 0.3 0.2 0.8 0.0 0.0

Simple length of natural gas supply pipelines - km. 9.79.7 5.3 0.8 4.4 0.0 0.0

DEMO-SOCIAL DIMENSION

Natural population increase/1000 inhabitants -3.91 -6.83 -4.59 -5.36 -7.7 -10.0

Divorces/1000 inhabitants 1.14 1.10 1.05 1.09 2.32.3 1.531.53

Balance of change of domicile/1000 inhabitants 11.111.1 3.1 2.5 4.5 -3.8-3.8 8.468.46

Balance of change of residence /1000 inhabitants -1.15 -3.68 -3.17 -2.96 -8.4 -6.92

External migration balance /1000 inhabitants -0.034 -0.002 -0.034 -0.019 -0.8 0.0

SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTU

RE

Enrolled pupils/teacher 9.8 8.7 10.6 9.7 6.16.1 5.65.6

Inhabitants / physician 1779 1763 2228 1947 13031303 13051305

PC/1000 inhabitants 8.3 8.4 7.2 7.9 6.1 10.0

ECONOMIC DIMENSION

Number of employees/1000 inhabitants 129.4 62.3 49.0 70.9 74.474.4 100.0100.0

% arable land in agricultural area 49.7 50.4 76.9 60.5 4.8 25.0

% area under vineyards and orchards in total agricultural area 6.9 2.6 2.5 3.4 0.0 0.1

Average number of beds / accommodation unit 20.820.8 1.4 0.8 5.1 60.460.4 62.062.0

Number of nights spent on accommodation units in one year / accommodation bed 34.134.1 1.5 0.8 7.9 33.633.6 24.124.1

INVESTMENTS Dwellings finished in one year / 1000 existing dwellings 15.915.9 3.6 4.9 6.6 4.7 3.42

17,2 20,7 21,4 22,0 18,6

13,5 21,5 24,9 22,8 17,3

16,6 20,1 23,1 21,8 18,3

13,0 19,2 26,1 24,3 17,4

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

rural Romania

Crisan

rural Romania

Crisan

2008

2011

Age structure of rural population (%)

0-14years 15-29 30-44 45-64 65 years and over

Average value of rural inequality matrix indicators

Crisan commune year 2008 2011TOTAL area (ha) out of which: 40626 40975agricultural area 2685 3073arable area 130 769pastures 2555 2300vineyards 0 4

Thank you for your attention !Thank you for your attention !

Monica Mihaela TUDOR

Institute of Agricultural Economics Bucharest

monik_sena@yahoo.com