Month: December 2025

REGIONAL ECONOMIC RESILIENCE AND TOURISM DEMAND: THE CASE OF GREECE

Dimitrios TSIOTAS

Assistant Professor, Department of Regional and Economic Development; Agricultural University of Athens; Drosou Kravvartogiannou, Nea Poli; Amfissa 33100, Greece,

tsiotas@aua.gr

(Corresponding Author)

Thomas KRABOKOUKIS

Ph.D, Department of Planning and Regional Development, University of Thessaly, Pedion Areos, Volos, 38334, Greece,

tkrabokoukis@uth.gr

Dimitrios KANTIANIS

Assistant Professor, Department of Business Administration, School of Business, University of the Aegean, 8, Michalon St., GR-82132 Chios, Greece;

dkantianis@aegean.gr

Abstract

The resilience of spatial economies is driven by a high degree of complexity, as the behavior of economic systems, both in response to disturbances from their external environment and to the transformative dynamics that develop internally, is a multivariable process depending on economic, structural, social, geographic, environmental, institutional, political, and other related factors. Conceptualizing the inherent capacity of economic systems to resist, recover, adapt, or evolve when faced with different types and forms of disturbances, the study of regional economic resilience can shed light both on the mechanisms promoting regional development and on the design of more targeted regional policy actions. Assuming that an economic crisis can be interpreted as a ‘disturbance’ to the functional equilibrium of open economies, this paper examines the extent to which the 2008 economic crisis affected the resilience of Greece’s regions in terms of their tourism demand. The study focuses on tourism, considered one of the country’s key economic sectors, and analyzes tourism demand data (accommodation occupancy) and annual employment for the period January 2000 – December 2018, using a three-dimensional (3D) economic resilience index recently proposed by Tsiotas and Katsaiti (2025), along with location quotients and statistical analysis techniques. The research investigates the extent to which a region’s sectoral specialization is related to aspects of its economic resilience in tourism demand, providing insights into the spatial asymmetry that generally characterizes the relationship between a region’s basic sector and the vulnerability of its economy due to its core specialization.

Keywords: three-dimensional (3D) economic resilience index, engineering resilience, ecological resilience, evolutionary resilience, regional economics and development, tourism economics and development

JEL classification: R11, R15, R58, Z32

pp. 101-116

read more

SUSTAINABLE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND COMPLEX ADAPTIVE SYSTEMS: A METHODOLOGICAL PROPOSAL THROUGH SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS

Diego Andrés CARREÑO DUEÑAS

School of Mines, National University of Colombia (Universidad Nacional de Colombia), Medellin, Colombia;  Professor, School of Industrial Management, Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia (Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia), Duitama, Colombia.

dicarrenod@unal.edu.co, diego.carreno@uptc.edu.co 

Walter Lugo RUIZ CASTAÑEDA

Professor, Department of Organizational Engineering, School of Mines, National University of Colombia (Universidad Nacional de Colombia), Medellin Colombia.

wlruizca@unal.edu.co

Abstract

The evolution of the main theories that have shaped Sustainable Regional Development (SRD) is traced in this paper, with the progressive incorporation of economic, social, environmental, and institutional dimensions showing how it is configured as a complex phenomenon. Based on this conceptual foundation, the study links the analysis of SRD to the Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) framework and, within this approach, to Social Network Analysis (SNA) as a tool for modelling interactions among regional stakeholders. Finally, it introduces a correlation between the resulting regional network metrics and the Departmental Innovation Index (IDIC) indicators for Colombia’s regions, offering an alternative perspective for analysing regional disparities.

Keywords: Sustainable Regional Development, Divergence, Complex Adaptive Systems, Social Network Analysis

JEL classification: O20, R11

pp. 85-99

read more

MEASURING THE PERFORMANCE OF EXPORT ECONOMIC BRANCHES LOCATED INSIDE CLUSTERS: EVIDENCE FROM GREECE

Andreas GKOUZOS

Department of Regional and Economic Development, School of Applied Economics and Social Sciences, Agricultural University of Athens, Amfissa, Greece

agkouzos@aua.gr

ORCID ID: 0000-0003-3905-9205

Manolis CHRISTOFAKIS

Department of Business Administration, School of Business, University of the Aegean, Chios, Greece

mchri@aegean.gr

ORCID ID: 0009-0005-7416-0378

Abstract

The paper investigates the impact of clusters on the performance of export economic branches in Greek NUTS-2 regions for 2008 and 2018. The study employs a Cluster Index, statistical techniques and Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis, unveiling the intricate relationship between clusters and the competitiveness of export-driven economic branches. The findings illuminate the pivotal role clusters play in shaping export outcomes, indicating that regions in both mainland and insular space host multiple clusters that significantly influence export performance of economic branches. The outcomes of the research offer valuable insights for policy formulation, emphasising the need for custom-tailored strategies that harness sectoral-spatial patterns. In a broader context, the study’s insights provide valuable implications for enhancing overall economies by leveraging agglomeration effects and promoting growth in export-driven branches. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics between clusters and export performance, offering a roadmap for policymakers and stakeholders to foster economic advancement.

Keywords: clusters, export economic branches, Greek NUTS-2 regions, Cluster Index, economic base theory

JEL classification: C18, R12, R58

pp. 71-84

read more