Benefit-of-the-Doubt in the Spatial Analysis of Child Well-Being in European Countries

The Benefit-of-the-Doubt is one of the most popular methods for constructing composite indicators, with the main characteristic being the endogenous and individualized weighting of sub-indicators, which minimizes conflicts related to this definition. Greater weights are assigned to sub-indicators with the highest value, and smaller weights are assigned to sub-indicators with the lowest value. On the one hand, this unique mathematical property is very appropriate for studies with a geographical perspective as it operationalizes the spatial heterogeneity concept, in which the influence of the sub-indicator on the composite indicator varies from one geographic area to another. On the other hand, the weighting of sub-indicators is aimed at maximizing the scores of the composite indicator, reducing the explanatory and discriminative power of the composite indicator. This research introduces a framework that minimizes the problem of low discriminative and explanatory power of composite indicators constructed by the Benefit-of-the-Doubt. Another novelty of the research is the possibility of considering sub-indicators with greater conceptual importance, balancing the influence of dimensions on the composite indicator, and an approach to measuring the composite indicator’s spatial heterogeneity degree. These innovations present high levels of originality and applicability, contributing to the dissemination of the Benefit-of-the-Doubt in constructing composite indicators and developing public policies based on geographical representations with adequate explanatory and discriminatory power.