Decision Support Indicators for Municipal Investment in Low-Density Territories: A Case Study in the Portuguese Historical Villages

• Type: Chapter or Part of a Book
• Date: 2021

Authors

Martins, A (Author) Other; Azevedo, G (Author) Other; Santos, C (Author) Other; Melo, AI (Author) Other; Ferreira, A (Author) Other; Dias, D (Author) Other; Gomes, G (Author) Other; Natário, MM (Author) Other; Rocha, P (Author) Other; Ricardo Biscaia (Author) FEP; Duarte, R (Author) Other; Marques, RP (Author) Other

Indexing

Scopus - 0 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00W-8DH

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-65524-2_10

Abstract (EN): The Portuguese Historical Villages (AHP) are unique due to their specific features, singular rural heritage, existing asymmetries, and the financial challenges faced by their municipalities and surrounding environment. This work was carried out within the scope of the Project ¿PLowDeR¿Framework para Análise do Impacto Económico e Social das Atividades Turísticas nos Territórios de Baixa Densidade: o Caso das Aldeias Históricas de Portugal¿ (PLowDeR¿Framework for the Analysis of the Economic and Social Impact of Tourism Activities in Low-Density Territories: the Case of the Portuguese Historical Villages). Its main objective is to analyse if the decisions shaped in the general terms of the main options of the plan and the budget approved in the town hall meeting (held in the councils where the different villages are located) are somehow aligned with the indicators collected by the application of the indicators framework proposed by the PLowDeR Project. For this purpose, we conducted a content analysis of the minutes of the last town hall meetings held in 2017 in order to verify if the decisions made were the best ones or if a different decision could have been made based on a set of objective indicators. As a result of our study, we conclude that some of the decisions analysed could have been different, if made on a better-informed basis, based on a framework of indicators to support decision-making. In the absence of a framework, the decisions made are exclusively based on the experience and intuition of political decision makers. Therefore, these municipalities may reach a significant competitive advantage if they use the framework of indicators proposed by the PLowDeR Project and if they actively contribute to data collection. This data will be used to develop indicators on a regular basis over time, allowing the creation of a database which may provide more efficient analysis and better-informed decision-making. © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific