A disparity between the standards of living applying within a nation. It is difficult to quantify the prosperity or poverty of a region, but there are two basic indicators. The first is unemployment, which has been used in Britain as a symptom since the 1920s. Most UK regional policy has concerned the alleviation of unemployment. The second indicator is per capita income, which in Britain generally falls to the north and west. Other factors indicating disparity include the type of industry and its growth or decline, numbers of young people in further education, housing standards, and the quality of the environment. Some would assert that economic development brings about regional inequality. See uneven development.
