Regional development in economic core regions Katarína Ďurková, Ľudmila Čábyová, Eva Vicenová

1 Introduction  Definitions of “region“  Classification of regions  Factors influencing the economic level of regions  Effects of regional development  Institutions and regional development  Regional self-government & barriers of regional development  Education and research vs. regional development  Conclusions

2 Definitions of “region“  A geographical object, which has the character of a spatial unit with properties of a system, for which is characteristic its integrity, relative isolation and functional organization  A dynamic spatial system, for which are typical specific natural and socio-economic characteristics, different from other areas

3 Classification of regions  Metropolitan regions  Economic core regions  Peripheral, rural regions

4 Factors influencing the economic level of regions  Localization of enterprises in the region  Demography  Technical and social infrastructure  Natural and geographic conditions  Economic policy of the government

5 Definition of “regional development“  A sustainable growth of the economic and social potential of the region, which increases its economic level, performance, competitiveness and the standards of living of its population (Act on regional development support no. 503/2001 Coll.)  An important prerequisite for regional development is effective regional policy

6 Effects of regional development  Development has a lot of forms and dimensions and it can not be separated from the economic and social policy of the area  Effects of the regional development are difficult to express in value and are not clear  The development is created by the public benefits for individuals and groups in the given region: □ External economies □ Agglomeration economies

7 Institutions and regional development  Regional development is affected by its institutional facilities: □ Traditional institutions (government organizations, regional and local governments) □ Research and educational institutions □ Financial institutions □ Businesses □ Various interest and professional associations □ NGOs □ etc.

8 Benneworth’s dimensions of the region  Hardware equipment (hardware) of the region – technical infrastructure, production factors  Software package (software) of the region – institutional structure, social infrastructure  Intellectual equipment of the region (mindware) - cultural identity and image of the region

9 Trends in regional development  The institutional isomorphism  The transition to decentralized organizations  The specific role of intermediary agencies  Increasing role of universities  Growing importance of the European structural policy

10 Regional self-government  Self-governing regions (institutional units) do not have their own citizens or an area that belongs solely to them  Barriers of regional development: □ unsatisfying territorial-administrative division of regions □ high fragmentation of the settlement structure □ the lack of marketing tools □ insufficient legal framework of inadequate quality □ low quality of regional development management

11 Education and research vs. regional development TRIPLE HELIX MODEL AcademiaIndustry Government Industry Government KNOWLEDGE TRIANGLE EducationResearch Innovations

12 Conclusions  Changes in the CEE countries do not have the same character as the changes in the countries where the market principle worked also after WW II  Established mechanisms of the existing economic and social relations are likely to prevent new changes  Economic core regions should try to break the dependence on traditional industries  The ability to generate the so-called structural advantage will be important for the long-term regional development  The inflow of investments with higher added value will open the space for increased engagement of domestic enterprises in the international networks

Thank you for your attention. This presentation was created within the VEGA project, Reg. No. 1/1059/11 “Barriers of knowledge distribution from universities to business”.

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