ASSESSING THE COMPARATIVE SPATIAL DISADVANTAGE (CSD) OF REGIONS IN THE EUROPEAN-UNION USING NONRADIAL DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSIS-METHODS

In this paper we propose non-radial data envelopment analysis models f or assessing the comparative spatial disadvantage (CSD) of the Level I I regions of the European Union (EU). CSD is considered as a relativel y new element of spatial efficiency which seeks to enhance the spectru m of the current methods used for assessing spatial inequality and dis persion, The paper also proposes a goal programming formulation for as sessing ''production'' function coefficients of the social cohesion am ong the regions of the EU assuming elimination of the levels of compar ative disadvantage.