lequità

Lequità is a term encountered in Italian-language policy and academic discourse to describe a form of equity focused on local or community-level outcomes within a broader jurisdiction. As a neologism, its precise meaning varies across authors, but it generally signals an attempt to reconcile distributive justice with local governance processes.

Origins and usage: The term appears in policy essays and think-piece literature from the 2010s onward, particularly in discussions about urban planning, public health, and regional development. It is typically presented as a complement to the traditional concept of equità by emphasizing place-based considerations and participatory decision-making.

Conceptual content: Core ideas include allocating resources to reduce local disparities, ensuring fair access to public services, involving communities in decision-making, and maintaining transparency and accountability. Lequità often involves developing locality-specific indicators and governance mechanisms to monitor outcomes and adjust policies accordingly.

Measurement and implementation: Advocates describe lequità as a framework for designing policies that balance national or regional aims with local needs. Implementation tends to rely on joint budgeting, participatory budgeting, and local performance metrics that reflect both efficiency and fairness at the community level.

Criticism and debates: Critics argue that lequità can be vague, risk fragmenting national policy objectives, and complicate measurement. Proponents counter that it offers a pragmatic approach to context-specific fairness while preserving overarching equity principles.

See also: Equity, Social justice, Distributive justice, Place-based policy, Local governance.