Evaluating sustainability through an input-state-output framework: the case of the Italian provinces

In line with the recommendation of monitoring local context, in this paper we propose to investigate regional (NUTS2) and provincial (NUTS3) economic systems in a schematic and usable way: three different indicators are used to take into account resource use (input), societal organization (state) and to quantify the outputs of the system (output). A fuzzy cluster analysis is applied to the input-state-output indicator framework, that, as a whole, represents the interconnection of the three aspects of sustainability, namely environmental, social and economic. This framework is a useful and comprehensive tool for investigating and monitoring local context economic systems.