A Multivariate Statistical Approach to the Analysis of Rural Development

The aim of this work is to contribute to the definition of an analytical approach for evaluating the dynamics in progress in the agricultural and rural development at a territorial level. For this purpose principal components analysis and cluster analysis were applied and the different methodological approaches reviewed. A two-stage method is also proposed. This could provide the analytical tools to simplify and interpret the results of the territorial analyses, also in order to supply a flexible instrument to policy-makers. A case-study on the Emilia-Romagna region, in Italy, is presented