ECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF SOCIAL WELFARE IN THE NAKHCHIVAN AUTONOMOUS REPUBLIC
Keywords:
social welfare, nominal wages, regional development, OLS, Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, income inequalityAbstract
This article examines the economic dimensions of social welfare in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic using selected statistical indicators presented in the underlying research material. It discusses why welfare cannot be assessed solely through gross domestic product or nominal income and considers wage dynamics, differences between economic sectors, and the relationship between investment and social outcomes. The descriptive dataset reports average monthly nominal wages of 399.7 AZN in 2015, 535.0 AZN in 2020, 553.6 AZN in 2021, 610.8 AZN in 2022, 689.0 AZN in 2023, and 782.4 AZN in 2024. An ordinary least squares linear trend estimates an average increase of approximately 39.30 AZN per year, with R² equal to 0.8958. These results describe the selected observations and do not establish causality or demonstrate changes in real purchasing power. The article also compares average wages across selected sectors and outlines a broader framework for monitoring welfare through real wages, employment, social protection, education, health, housing conditions, and regional inequality. The main methodological limitation is the small, non-consecutive sample and the absence of a harmonised annual dataset for all welfare indicators. The article therefore treats the regression as a descriptive trend and proposes a more robust future model based on consistent real and annual data.
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