Project
Title of the Project:
Competitiveness of the Hungarian Regions and Settlements in the European Economic Space
Subject of the Research:
The regional restructuring of the European economy has lead to the appreciation of the regional policy of the recent decades. The effects of globalisation and the new factors forming powers are different in the various elements of the urban system and in each region. The conditions of the regional structures differ greatly in the application of the cohesion policy combined with competitiveness. In some member-states of the EU – where the positions of the regional sciences are powerful – all-embracing investigations were made in order to assess the competitiveness potentials of regions and towns. The development strategies are based on the outcome of these investigations.
Research Goals as follows:
Working out the methodology of how to analyse the competitiveness potentials of Hungarian regions and settlements; determination of the regional differences in Hungary influencing the competitiveness; giving comparative analysis of the favourable and unfavourable positions of the Hungarian regions and urban system in Europe; comparing the Hungarian regional competitive factors with other member-states’ and exploring the Hungarian advantages; drafting suggestions for programmes to strengthen the competitiveness and requisite steps for such regional development; utilising Hungarian experience to further develop the EU’s structural policy so that it strengthens the cohesiveness of the single European economic area.
Expected Results of the Research:
The research results will facilitate Hungary’s ascension to the EU. The results can be used in the Union’s negotiations and for elaborating the national development programme and also in preparing the regional and urban development concepts. These also will help Hungary in participating actively in forming the EU’s structural policy and preparing the regional policy reforms. All of these will strengthen the competitiveness of the country, of some regions and cities supporting innovations in the first programming period after the accession to the EU.
Duration of the Research:
2001-2004
Project Leader:
Dr Gyula Horváth, DSc, Director-General
Participating Institutions:
Centre for Regional Studies of the
Hungarian Academy of Science;
Institute for World Economics of the
Hungarian Academy of Sciences;
Department of Regional Geography of
the Faculty of Sciences, Loránd Eötvös University;
Institute
of European Economics of the Faculty of Economics, University of Miskolc;
Department of Agricultural, Environmental
and Regional Economics of the Faculty of Economics, Pécs University;
Department of Regional and
Applied Economics of the Faculty of Economics, University of Szeged.