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Regional Disparities in Central and Eastern European Countries: Trends, Drivers and Prospects

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  • Maciej Smętkowski

Abstract

Growth in Central and East European countries (CEE) is territorially unbalanced, more so than in most other parts of the EU. The benefits of transformation in these countries have been unequally distributed among particular social groups and territories—with the emergence of highly educated and internationally successful professionals and entrepreneurs located mainly in metropolitan areas on the one hand, and structural unemployment, persistent poverty and social exclusion in peripheral regions on the other. These regional imbalances are characterised by a process of metropolisation that has privileged a handful of dynamic urban centres while exacerbating the structural problems of old industrial regions, vast rural areas and regions located on borders, and especially the EU's eastern borders. Different as they are in social, cultural and geographical terms, these declining or stagnating regions share general problems of economic peripherality and many negative effects of structural change, such as rural depopulation, ‘brain drain’, disinvestment and, frequently, below-average levels of socio-economic well-being. This polarised economic and territorial development within CEE poses challenges not only for the respective countries, but also for European cohesion.

Suggested Citation

  • Maciej Smętkowski, 2013. "Regional Disparities in Central and Eastern European Countries: Trends, Drivers and Prospects," Europe-Asia Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 65(8), pages 1529-1554, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:ceasxx:v:65:y:2013:i:8:p:1529-1554
    DOI: 10.1080/09668136.2013.833038
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jacek Szlachta & Jacek Zaucha, 2010. "A new paradigm of the EU regional development in the context of the Poland’s National Spatial Development Concept," Working Papers 1001, Instytut Rozwoju, Institute for Development.
    2. BOURDEAU-LEPAGE, Lise, 2003. "Metropolization in Central and Eastern Europe : unequal chances," LEG - Document de travail - Economie 2003-15, LEG, Laboratoire d'Economie et de Gestion, CNRS, Université de Bourgogne.
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    1. Paweł Gajewski, 2018. "Patterns of regional inflation persistence in a C.E.E. country. The case of Poland," Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(1), pages 1351-1366, January.
    2. Javier Revilla Diez & Daniel Schiller & Daria Zvirgzde, 2016. "Doing business in Ukraine – multinational companies in the trap of regional institutions?," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 34(4), pages 638-655, June.
    3. Šimon Martin, 2017. "Multi-scalar geographies of polarisation and peripheralisation: A case study of Czechia," Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series, Sciendo, vol. 37(37), pages 125-137, September.
    4. Shi‐Xiao Wang & Wen‐Min Lu & Shiu‐Wan Hung, 2020. "Improving innovation efficiency of emerging economies: The role of manufacturing," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 41(4), pages 503-519, June.
    5. Joel I. DEICHMANN & Dominique HAUGHTON & Mingfei LI & Heyao WANG, 2022. "Does European Union Membership Result In Quality-Of-Life Convergence?," Regional Science Inquiry, Hellenic Association of Regional Scientists, vol. 0(1), pages 31-46, June.
    6. Mariya Neycheva, 2016. "Secondary versus higher education for growth: the case of three countries with different human capital’s structure and quality," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 50(6), pages 2367-2393, November.
    7. Anděl J. & Bičík I. & Bláha J. D., 2018. "Concepts and delimitation of the world’s macro-regions," Miscellanea Geographica. Regional Studies on Development, Sciendo, vol. 22(1), pages 16-21, March.
    8. Novosák Jiří & Novosáková Jana & Hájek Oldřich & Horváth Peter, 2017. "Regional disparities, absorption capacity and Structural Fund payments: A case study of the Czech Republic," Quaestiones Geographicae, Sciendo, vol. 36(4), pages 81-92, December.
    9. V. A. Kolosov & A. V. Crivenco, 2021. "Impact of Depopulation on Political Life and Legitimacy of Unrecognized States (a Case Study of Transnistria)," Regional Research of Russia, Springer, vol. 11(2), pages 263-272, April.
    10. Bujar Aruqaj, 2023. "An Integrated Approach to the Conceptualisation and Measurement of Social Cohesion," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 168(1), pages 227-263, August.
    11. Roberta Capello & Silvia Cerisola, 2023. "Industrial transformations and regional inequalities in Europe," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 70(1), pages 15-28, February.
    12. Ҫurçija Mario & Bejleri Emirjeta, 2020. "Urban Population Growth and Job Opportunities: The Case of Albania," Naše gospodarstvo/Our economy, Sciendo, vol. 66(4), pages 28-39, December.
    13. Mariya Neycheva, 2015. "Impact of Secondary and Tertiary Education on Economic Growth: a Co-integration Model for Bulgaria," Economic Studies journal, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute, issue 4, pages 82-106.

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