Yes, on the shorter scale, the frets are ever so slightly closer together making certain chord positions where the fingers are out-stretched, a tad easier to play.

For me neck width preferences are dependent on the style of music I'm playing. If I'm doing Travis stuff, I prefer a 1 11/16" nut width. If I'm doing Doc Watson or Blind Blake stuff 1 3/4" nut width is nice. The ideal width for me is 1 23/32" - somewhere in between the two width sizes I previously described.

Depends on the size of your hands and length of your fingers as well.