Nonparametric approach to evaluation of economic and social development in the EU28 member states by DEA efficiency

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology is used in this study for a comparison of the dynamic efficiency of European countries over the last decade. Moreover, efficiency analysis is used to determine where resources are distributed efficiently and/or were used efficiently/inefficiently under factors of competitiveness extracted from factor analysis. DEA measures numerical grades of the efficiency of economic processes within evaluated countries and, therefore, it becomes a suitable tool for setting an efficient/inefficient position of each country. Most importantly, the DEA technique is applied to all (28) European Union (EU) countries to evaluate their technical and technological efficiency within the selected factors of competitiveness based on country competitiveness index in the 2000-2017 reference period. The main aim of the paper is to measure efficiency changes over the reference period and to analyze the level of productivity in individual countries based on the Malmquist productivity index (MPI). Empirical results confirm significant disparities among European countries and selected periods 2000-2007, 2008-2011, and 2012-2017. Finally, the study offers a comprehensive comparison and discussion of results obtained by MPI that indicate the EU countries in which policy-making authorities should aim to stimulate national development and provide more quality of life to the EU citizens.Web of Science122art. no. 7

Hodnocení konkurenceschopnosti regionů České republiky v kontextu Lisabonské strategie

Evaluation of regional competitiveness is issue constantly in the forefront of economic science, which lacks a mainstream approach. The paper examines and analyses regional competitiveness of the Czech Republic by selected structural indicators of the European Union. Theoretical background of the paper set out the methodological concept and thesis of regional competitiveness, focusing on the possibility of measuring, and the methodology of EU Structural indicators system, which is used for the evaluation and the attainment of the objectives of the Lisbon strategy. The empirical part of the paper analyses the level of regional competitiveness of the Czech Republic through selected statistical and scaling methods in the case of 6 selected regional structural indicators

Assessment of efficiency in Visegrad countries and regions using DEA models

This paper applies Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methods to evaluate the performances of Visegrad Four (V4) countries and their NUTS 2 regions. It analyses the degree of efficiency achieved in individual countries and regions of V4, which is perceived as a reflection of the development potential in the reference period 2000–2010. The theoretical part of the paper is devoted to the fundamental bases of efficiency analysis in the context of performance theory and the methodology of the DEA method. The empirical part measures the effectiveness of the four countries and 35 NUTS 2 regions using six selected DEA models. When applying the DEA method in the analysis, we use selected indicators of inputs and outputs, which are part of the EU's growth strategies. Using the DEA method for efficiency evaluation is preferable because it evaluates a set of factors that determine the degree of economic development. The DEA method is based on the inputs and outputs of used indicators and it evaluates how efficiently countries and regions are able to transform their inputs into outputs. Therefore, the efficiency of countries and regions can be considered to be a mirror of performance. Each country and region is ranked in terms of its effective and ineffective economic positions within V4. The final part of the paper offers a comprehen-sive comparison of the results obtained using the selected DEA models, namely the CCR model, BCC model and SBM

Use of the multivariate statistical methods for evaluation of regional disparities in Visegrad Four countries

Measurement and evaluation of regional differences (disparities) is associated with the lack of integrated approach and methodology at national or regional level. The paper aims to introduce two selected multivariate statistical methods (factor analysis, cluster analysis) as a possible and convenient tool for regional differences analysis and evaluation. The main goal of the paper is to evaluate and compare regional differences at NUTS 2 level in the Visegrad Four countries on the basis of selected regional indicators in the case of the year 2010 using factor analysis and cluster analysis. Theoretical part of the paper defines, at first, the concept of regional disparities in the context of European Union´s approach and deals with quantitative methods used for regional disparities evaluation. Subsequently, in the empirical part, the paper uses the factor analysis for identification of main factors of regional differences. The final evaluation and comparison of different socio-economic position between Visegrad Four NUTS 2 regions in the year 2010, results from cluster analysis that classifies the regions to homogeneous units (clusters) according to the factor similarity

Comparison of the Bilateral Trade Flows of the Visegrad Countries with China

China’s economic miracle resulted in the fact that it is currently one of the largest economy and exporter in the world. Other states try to develop trade and investment relations with China because they see a big potential for their products in the Chinese market with an increasing middle-income group. This chapter is focused on the trade relations that are carried out among some Member States of the European Union and China. The object of the chapter is to show the main facts and trends in the foreign trade of the Visegrad countries with China and to compare their trade structure in the period 1995–2014. The description of the institutional framework of the trade relations among the listed countries and the analysis of the data about their bilateral trade showed that the V4 countries achieved a negative trade balance with China in the previous period, and the possibility to change it is practically very low because of the low level of their trade complementarity. From this aspect, another form of trade relations will apparently have to be developed, although the economic structure and other factors can play an important role in this case

XXV. mezinárodní kolokvium o regionálních vědách

Title in English: 25th International Colloquium on Regional Sciences: Conference proceedings The conference proceedings consists of papers presented at the 25th International Colloquium on Regional Sciences that was organized by Department of Regional Economics and Administration FEA MU. It contains 57 articles arranged by topic. The individual articles deal with e.g. socioeconomic disparities among regions, regional policy, territory attractiveness, tourism, or regional public administration

XXIV. mezinárodní kolokvium o regionálních vědách

Title in English: 24th International Colloquium on Regional Sciences: Conference proceedings. The conference proceedings consists of papers presented at the 24rd International Colloquium on Regional Sciences that was organized by Department of Regional Economics and Administration FEA MU. It contains 79 articles arranged by topic. The individual articles deal with e.g. socioeconomic disparities among regions, regional policy, territory attractiveness, tourism or regional public administration

Disparities, Cohesion and Competitiveness of Visegrad Four NUTS 2 Regions

Import 26/02/2015Předmětem řešení doktorské dizertační práce je problematika disparit, soudržnosti a konkurenceschopnosti, která je empiricky analyzována a hodnocena na úrovni 35 regionů NUTS 2 zemí Visegrádské čtyřky. Hlavním cílem doktorské dizertační práce je ověření provázanosti konceptů soudržnosti a konkurenceschopnosti jako dvojice komplementárních cílů Evropské unie prostřednictvím empirické analýzy a zhodnocení úrovně disparit, soudržnosti a konkurenceschopnosti regionů NUTS 2 zemí Visegrádské čtyřky v referenčním období 2000–2011. Naplnění cíle doktorské dizertační práce tak úzce souvisí s ověřením platnosti vzájemného vztahu mezi soudržností a konkurenceschopností, jenž je dán výchozí hypotézou doktorské dizertační práce a na regionální úrovni sledován zástupnými kompozitními indikátory VAID a RCI 2010. Závěry doktorské dizertační práce, založené na empirických výsledcích v oblasti zkoumání disparit a soudržnosti poukazují na to, že v regionech NUTS 2 zemí Visegrádské čtyřky dochází ve sledovaném období ke snižování disparit a posilování hospodářské, sociální a územní soudržnosti. V oblasti regionální konkurenceschopnosti dochází ve sledovaných regionech ke sbližování ekonomické výkonnosti, a to jak mezi regiony NUTS 2 zemí Visegrádské čtyřky navzájem, tak vůči průměrné úrovni EU-27. Ačkoliv byl ve většině regionů NUTS 2 zemí Visegrádské čtyřky zaznamenán pozitivní trend klesající úrovně disparit v oblasti ekonomické, sociální a územní soudržnosti, stále zde existují meziregionální rozdíly zejména mezi regiony s aglomeracemi hlavních měst a ostatními regiony NUTS 2 zemí V4, které dosahují relativně vyšší úrovně disparit (nižší úrovně soudržnosti) a relativně nižší úrovně konkurenceschopnosti. Celkově došlo, na vzorku 35 regionů NUTS 2 zemí Visegrádské čtyřky, k naplnění cíle doktorské dizertační práce v podobě identifikace pozitivní závislosti a vzájemné provázanosti teoretických konceptů soudržnosti (odvozené od úrovně regionálních disparit) a konkurenceschopnosti, jako dvojice komplementárních cílů Evropské unie.The subject of the doctoral dissertation thesis is submitted by the issue of disparities, cohesion and competitiveness, which is empirically analysed and evaluated at the level of 35 NUTS 2 regions of the Visegrad Four. The main aim of the doctoral dissertation thesis is to verify the coherence of the concept of cohesion and competitiveness as a pair of complementary EU objectives through empirical analysis and evaluation of the level of disparities, cohesion and competitiveness of NUTS 2 regions of the Visegrad Four countries in the reference period 2000–2011. The fulfilment of doctoral dissertation thesis objective is closely related with validation of mutual relationship between cohesion and competitiveness, which is determined by the default hypothesis of doctoral dissertation thesis and followed by proxy composite indicators VAID and RCI 2010. Conclusions of doctoral dissertation thesis, based on empirical results of the examination of disparities and cohesion pointed out that in NUTS 2 regions of the Visegrad Four we have occurred process of reducing disparities and strengthening economic, social and territorial cohesion between NUTS 2 regions of the Visegrad Four in the period 2000–2011. In the area of regional competitiveness a convergence of economic performance has been observed, both among Visegrad Four regions and with the average of EU-27. Although most of NUTS 2 regions of the Visegrad Four recorded positive trend of declining levels of disparities in the area of economic, social and territorial cohesion, there are still differences between regions with capital cities and other NUTS 2 regions of Visegrad Four, which reach relatively higher level of disparities (lower level of cohesion) and relatively lower level of competitiveness. Overall, at the sample of 35 NUTS 2 regions of Visegrad Four, the main objective of doctoral dissertation thesis has been fulfilled. Dissertation thesis confirms the positive dependence between theoretical concepts of cohesion (derived from the level of regional disparities) and competitiveness, as a pair of complementary objectives of the European Union.Prezenční120 - Katedra evropské integracevyhově

Use of DEA approach to measuring efficiency trend in old EU member states

The paper deals with measuring and evaluation of efficiency trend in the “old” European Union (EU) countries (EU15) by Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach. The aim of the paper is to measure and assess efficiency potential of old EU countries (EU15) in reference years 2000-2011 by advanced DEA approach – the Malmquist index. The main purpose of used DEA approach is to measure efficiency changes over the reference period and to analyse a level of productivity in individual EU countries based on the Malmquist index, and then to classify the old EU Member States to homogeneous units (clusters) according to efficiency results based on the Cluster analysis. Using of DEA approach for efficiency evaluation is convenient because DEA method is based on ratio between input- and output-indicators and measures thus efficiency with old EU countries are able to transform their inputs into outputs. Efficiency can be thus considered as a 'sourceof competitiveness. The first part is focused on theoretical background of efficiency in the context of effectiveness and advanced DEA method. Application part is concentrated on evaluation of EU15 countries efficiency in the frame of the Malmquist index for efficiency measuring and the Cluster analysis for jurisdiction of evaluated countries. Each country is ranked in terms of their competitive/uncompetitive position within the group of EU15 countries. Based on efficiency results, the comparison of competitiveness based on the efficiency level of countries is included

The main achievements of the EU structural funds 2007–2013 in the EU member states: efficiency analysis of transport sector

Research background: The European Union currently provides financial support to the Member States through various financial tools from European Structural and Investment Funds 2014–2020, and previously from the EU Structural Funds. In both terminologies, the funds represent the main instrument of EU Cohesion Policy to sustain territorial development, to increase competitiveness and to eliminate regional disparities. The overall impact of EU Funds depends on the structure of funding and absorption capacity of the country. Purpose of the article: The efficiency of funding across the EU Member States is a fundamental issue for EU development as a whole. The Author considers deter-mining the efficiency of EU Funds as an issue of high importance, and therefore this paper provides a contribution to the debate on the role of EU Cohesion Policy in the Member States. The paper focuses on territorial effects of relevant EU Funds in programming period 2007–2013 in infrastructure through efficiency analysis. Methods: Efficiency analysis is based on data at the country level, originating from ex-post evaluation of Cohesion Policy programmes 2007–2013 and representing the input and output variables to analyse whether the goal of fostering growth in the target countries have been achieved with the funds provided, and whether or not more resources generated stronger growth effects in transport accessibility. The paper deals with comparative cross-country analysis, descriptive analysis of dataset and multiple-criteria approach of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) in the form of output-oriented BCC VRS model of efficiency and output-oriented APM VRS subsequently model of super-efficiency. Findings & Value added: The paper aims to test the factors of two inputs and five outputs, trying to elucidate the differences obtained by the Member States in effective use of the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund in the transport sector. The paper determines if the countries have been more efficient in increasing their levels of competitive advantages linked with transport. Preliminary results reveal that most countries with a lower amount of funding achieve higher efficiency, especially countries in a group of so-called “old EU Member States”, i.e. group EU15