The countryside in urbanized Flanders: towards a flexible definition for a dynamic policy

The countryside, the rural area, the open space, … many definitions are used for rural Flanders. Everyone makes its own interpretation of the countryside, considering it as a place for living, working or recreating. The countryside is more than just a geographical area: it is an aggregate of physical, social, economic and cultural functions, strongly interrelated with each other. According to international and European definitions of rural areas there would be almost no rural area in Flanders. These international definitions are all developed to be used for analysis and policy within their specific context. They are not really applicable to Flanders because of the historical specificity of its spatial structure. Flanders is characterized by a giant urbanization pressure on its countryside while internationally rural depopulation is a point of interest. To date, for every single rural policy initiative – like the implementation of the European Rural Development Policy – Flanders used a specifically adapted definition, based on existing data or previously made delineations. To overcome this oversupply of definitions and delineations, the Flemish government funded a research project to obtain a clear and flexible definition of the Flemish countryside and a dynamic method to support Flemish rural policy aims. First, an analysis of the currently used definitions of the countryside in Flanders was made. It is clear that, depending on the perspective or the policy context, another definition of the countryside comes into view. The comparative study showed that, according to the used criteria, the area percentage of Flanders that is rural, varies between 9 and 93 per cent. Second, dynamic sets of criteria were developed, facilitating a flexible definition of the countryside, according to the policy aims concerned. This research part was focused on 6 policy themes, like ‘construction, maintenance and management of local (transport) infrastructures’ and ‘provision of (minimum) services (education, culture, health care, …)’. For each theme a dynamic set of criteria or indicators was constructed. These indicators make it possible to show where a policy theme manifests itself and/or where policy interventions are possible or needed. In this way every set of criteria makes up a new definition of rural Flanders. This method is dynamic; new data or insights can easily be incorporated and new criteria sets can be developed if other policy aims come into view. The developed method can contribute to a more region-oriented and theme-specific rural policy and funding mechanism

Strategies for sustainable socio-economic development and mechanisms their implementation in the global dimension

The authors of the book have come to the conclusion that it is necessary to effectively use modern approaches to developing and implementation strategies of sustainable socio-economic development in order to increase efficiency and competitiveness of economic entities. Basic research focuses on economic diagnostics of socio-economic potential and financial results of economic entities, transition period in the economy of individual countries and ensuring their competitiveness, assessment of educational processes and knowledge management. The research results have been implemented in the different models and strategies of supply and logistics management, development of non-profit organizations, competitiveness of tourism and transport, financing strategies for small and medium-sized enterprises, cross-border cooperation. The results of the study can be used in decision-making at the level the economic entities in different areas of activity and organizational-legal forms of ownership, ministries and departments that promote of development the economic entities on the basis of models and strategies for sustainable socio-economic development. The results can also be used by students and young scientists in modern concepts and mechanisms for management of sustainable socio-economic development of economic entities in the condition of global economic transformations and challenges

Assessing regional integration and business potential in the Western Balkans

This paper extrapolates the patterns and volume of business development within the Western Balkans region. This is a war-torn area with social, cultural, religious and political specificities. Despite noticeable institutional and growth progress of the individual countries, regional business is still lagging as persistent state rigidities create trade distortions. We argue that intra-regional business clusters, embedded in shared socio-cultural characteristics, can be the alternative to underdevelopment. Political willingness is the prerequisite, as market forces in transitional areas seem to be of secondary importance to regional business development and integration. New analytical approaches are needed to capture the complex reality.Regional development; business clusters; transition economies

Determinants of FDI in transition countries and estimation of the potential level of Croatian FDI

In a global economy, foreign direct investment (FDI) represents the main form of international business activities. More than the mere cross-border movement of capital, FDI includes transfer of technology and know-how, thus contributing to competitiveness, employment and trade, and consequently, economic growth and the development of the local economy. The recent drop in international capital flows resulting from global financial and economic crisis has caused concerns regarding growth prospects for the world economy in general and that of less advanced transition countries in particular. By hypothesizing that Croatia, as the next member of the EU, has realized sub-optimal effects in attracting FDI, and that international competition in this field is expected to grow further, the aim of the paper is to find out determining factors behind inward FDI to transition countries, in order to detect the capacities of Croatia in hosting new foreign investment. Statistical analysis, focusing on bilateral FDI-flows and country-specific characteristics, proved the importance of typical ‟gravity”-type variables, as well as those based on increasing returns to scale, while showing that at present Croatia has exhausted its potentials in hosting new FDI

Academic Aspect of the Leather Industry: An Interpretation from the Perspective of Business Science

In the leather industry, a production process that is the subject of many different disciplines is dominant. Many studies on these branches of science have examined the sector in detail in terms of production. On the other hand, studies dealing with the sector in terms of business administration department and sub-disciplines are not common. In this study, academic publications examining the relationship between the leather industry and the business administration department are the subjects. 98 scientific studies obtained after the search in the Web of Science database were examined in terms of the form of publication, the year of publication, the country where the publication was made and the sub-disciplines of the business department

Regionalne odrednice izvozne konkurentnosti hrvatske prerađivačke industrije

Aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of regional determinants on export competitiveness of Croatian companies in the manufacturing industry in the period from 2004 to 2010. Using the spatial econometrics the impact of agglomeration externalities, innovation potential, firm size, foreign ownership concentration and development of regions on the export competitiveness of companies in Croatian counties have been investigated for the first time. Research results indicate changes in the regional distribution of Croatian exports during the period. This trend has a negative impact on export competitiveness of companies in other counties. The basic conclusion suggests the need for revision of the existing and formulation of new measures in order to improve the export competitiveness of non-developed counties and to encourage the balanced regional development.Nedavna istraživanja ukazuju kako regionalni činitelji poput aglomeracijskih eksternalija, kvalitete ljudskog kapitala i inovacijskog potencijala imaju važnu ulogu u objašnjavanju sposobnosti poduzeća da se natječu na domaćem i inozemnom tržištu. Nova ekonomska geografija sugerira kako koncentracija poduzeća u određenom zemljopisnom području pogoduje nastanku eksternalija poput lakšeg pristupa informacijama, dijeljenja znanja između poduzeća, suradnje poduzeća sa znanstvenim i profesionalnim institucijama te na taj način olakšava svladavanje prepreka građenju izvozne konkurentnosti. Prema ovom pristupu koncentracija poduzeća unutar pojedinog zemljopisnog područja ima negativan utjecaj na rezultate poslovanja poduzeća u susjednim zemljopisnim područjima uključujući i njihovu izvoznu konkurentnost. Cilj ovog rada je istražiti utjecaj regionalnih činitelja na izvoznu konkurentnost hrvatskih poduzeća iz prerađivačke industrije u razdoblju od 2004. do 2010. godine. Korištenjem metoda prostorne ekonometrije po prvi put će se istražiti utjecaj aglomeracijskih eksternalija, inovacijskog potencijala, veličine poduzeća, koncentracije stranog vlasništva i razvijenosti regija na izvoznu konkurentnost poduzeća iz hrvatskih županija. Rezultati istraživanja ukazuju na promjene u regionalnoj rasprostranjenosti hrvatskih izvoznika tijekom promatranog razdoblja. Ovaj trend ima negativan utjecaj na izvoznu konkurentnost poduzeća u ostalim regijama. Rezultati istraživanja također ukazuju na potrebu revizije postojećih i formuliranja novih mjera ekonomske politike kako bi se unaprijedila izvozna konkurentnost manje razvijenih regija te kako bi se potaknuo ravnomjeran regionalni razvoj

International Investment Attractiveness of Ukrainian Regions

The growing volatility of the exogenous and endogenous environment in which economic agents operate causes increased competition for limited investment resources. A further challenge today is the need to stimulate socioeconomic development in Ukraine and strengthen the capacity of its regions to fulfill their social and infrastructural burden in the context of relations with key stakeholders, primarily local communities and businesses. The meaning of key in this context is to set up an adequate system at the micro and macro levels to support the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine’s regions. This situation actualizes the problematics of building an adequately functioning complex of investment attractiveness of the regions. The article is aimed at analyzing the essence of investment attractiveness of regions in the plane of identifying the main drivers of influence on this economic category and forming proposals for its strengthening both on the short and long term time horizon. The article studies the essence of the economic category of «investment attractiveness of region» as a key component of stimulating socioeconomic development. A set of key factors influencing the status and prospective dynamics of investment attractiveness of the region is studied. An analysis of analytical approaches to measuring the investment attractiveness of the region in the context of current challenges for Ukraine and the needs of post-war reconstruction is carried out. Proposals for the development of a complex of investment attractiveness of the regions of Ukraine in the context of post-war reconstruction are formed. The proposed research may be valuable for specialists and researchers in the analyzed sphere, be useful for private and public companies, business associations, international financial institutions, public authorities. A promising direction of future research is to expand the analysis of drivers influencing the state of investment attractiveness in the context of motivations and needs of the main groups of stakeholders

The Accession of Croatia to the European Union: can a success Balkan case be exported to its neighborhood

This dissertation analyzes the extent to which Croatia’s accession to the European Union may, or may not, be a modeling process for its neighboring countries. Croatia has been considered a case of success in its integration into the EU, standing out from its neighboring countries that are still very early stage of negotiations. The main purpose is to analyze in which ways can Croatia influence its peers, an unstudied topic in the extant literature. Seeking to fulfil this gap, I analyze the aspects to which Croatia differed from the rest of the Balkans. Building on primary and secondary sources between 1989 and 2020, it is expected that Croatia's accession to the EU lead to economic growth and social and political consolidation. Research design entails a case study method, even though put in its respective context and in a comparative discussion within the Western Balkans countries, with the aim to explain the causes and consequences of Croatia's accession into the European Union. Findings unpack that Croatia's accession has been a success in some areas like the long-term stability both as a democracy and market economy, a small improvement in others like perceived corruption as well as little trust from society in the judicial system and political institutions, and even stagnation in areas such as development of different economic sectors and the regional differentiation in the country. The latter is due to the situation that Croatia faces in the context of the European Union's own retraction. Therefore, despite Croatia's apparent success, this research offers some understanding for neighboring countries and can be seen as a modeling process.A investigação realizada apresenta até que ponto a adesão da Croácia à União Europeia pode, ou não, ser um modelo a seguir para os seus países vizinhos. A Croácia é considerada um caso de sucesso na sua integração na UE, destacando-se dos países vizinhos que ainda se encontram numa fase inicial de negociações. O principal objetivo desta investigação é analisar de que forma a Croácia pode influenciar os seus pares, uma matéria pouco estudada na literatura existente. Para esse efeito, analiso os aspetos em que a Croácia difere do resto dos Balcãs. Com base em fontes primárias e secundárias, espera-se que a adesão da Croácia à UE conduza ao crescimento económico e à consolidação política e social. A metodologia centra-se, portanto, num estudo de caso, ainda que o discutindo em perspetiva comparada, analisando a estrutura do país num contexto extensivo e de discussão comparativa dos Balcãs Ocidentais, com o objetivo de explicar as causas e efeitos da adesão da Croácia à União Europeia. As conclusões revelam que a adesão da Croácia foi um sucesso em algumas áreas, como a estabilidade a longo prazo, tanto na democracia como na economia de mercado, uma parca melhoria em outras, mantendo altos níveis de perceção da corrupção e baixa confiança da sociedade no sistema judicial e nas instituições políticas, e até à estagnação em áreas como o desenvolvimento de diferentes setores económicos e a diferenciação regional do país. Este último deve-se à situação que a Croácia enfrenta no contexto da própria retração da União Europeia. Portanto, apesar do aparente sucesso da Croácia, esta investigação oferece alguma compreensão para os países vizinhos, e de que forma poderá ser vista como um modelo para os mesmos

Growth Anatomy of Croatian Economy

In this paper presented is research on anatomy of growth of Croatian economy in the period 1990-2013. Results of this analysis basically should be understood as a kind of growth diagnostic of Croatian economy. Conventional sources of growth analysis, which measure contribution of different factors of production, is given for growth of GDP and per capita GDP in relevant sub-periods. To get deeper understanding of results provided in this way, authors continue with analysis of sectorial side sources of growth. Further insights are provided by demand side sources of growth. Particular attention is, in that respect, devoted to analysis of net-export, capital formation and final consumption. Brief notions on institutional and other fundamental causes of growth are given as well. Policy recommendations for overcoming existing deadlock and acceleration of economic growth are only briefly discussed in concluding section of the paper