ADDRESSING SPATIAL JUSTICE AT LOWER TERRITORIAL LEVELS. SOME INSIGHTS FROM THE CENTRAL AND EAST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES’ PERSPECTIVE

Daniela- Luminița CONSTANTIN

Professor at the Department of Administration and Public Management, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies; Bucharest; Romania

danielaconstantin_2005@yahoo.com

Abstract

The current approaches of territorial inequalities from the perspective of territorial cohesion in relation to the European Social Model bring into discussion the concept of spatial justice, which combines place-based with people-based prosperity and points to adequate social and spatial integration models.  It has been supported by the “Europe 2020” strategy and will get even stronger emphasis in the new programme period, 2021-2027. In this context, the analysis of territorial inequalities at deeper level of spatial disaggregation gets a special significance for the design of the future regional policies, which will incorporate an important spatial justice component. It will entail a growing need for data at NUTS3 and LAU levels as well as for microdata (usually obtained on the occasion of population censuses). At international level there is already a growing interest in doing research at these levels by both institutions that support cohesion policy and individual authors. Starting from these overall considerations this paper proposes an overarching review of selected relevant studies undertaken in Central and Eastern Europe in order to highlight significant aspects of deeper territorial inequalities, as useful hints for the prioritisation of the EU funds allocation to less developed areas and for laying good foundations for the regional policies in these countries. The paper brings about a twofold contribution, namely a discussion of the difficulties that have to be faced for the construction of appropriate databases and proper methodologies as well as the emphasis on those territorial inequalities that are better captured at deeper disaggregation levels.

Keywords: territorial cohesion, spatial justice, overarching review, territorial inequalities, disaggregation level,

JEL classification: R11, R12, R19

 pp. 315-326

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THE CONTRIBUTION OF COHESION POLICY TO THE DEVELOPMENT AND CONVERGENCE OF THE REGIONS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Panagiotis KOUDOUMAKIS

Dr. Civil Engineer

Democritus University of Thrace (DUTh), Department of Civil Engineering, Greece

pkoudoum@civil.duth.gr

George BOTZORIS

Associate Professor, Democritus University of Thrace (DUTh), Department of Civil Engineering, Greece

gbotzori@civil.duth.gr

Angelos PROTOPAPAS

Professor, Democritus University of Thrace (DUTh), Department of Civil Engineering, Greece

aproto@civil.duth.gr

Abstract

The Cohesion Policy’s (CP) contribution to the development and convergence of EU regions is examined by utilizing the most complete historical data about CP payments regionally. Through the implementation of the neoclassical econometric model, the positive contribution, with a room of improvement, of CP to development and convergence of EU regions is substantiated. Moreover, the contribution of the secondary sector is emerging as the most critical. It is argued that the provision of reliable data of the implementation of CP contributes decisively towards reducing the complexity and heterogeneity of results. Also increases their potential to be utilized in assessment and design programs.

Keywords: Cohesion Policy of the European Union, Regional development and convergence, Econometric model, Data reliability and representativeness, Secondary sector

JEL classification: R11, R58, R15

 pp. 277-290

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TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE, TECHNOLOGICAL CATCH-UP AND MARKET POTENTIAL: EVIDENCE FROM THE EU REGIONS

Dimitris KALLIORAS

Associate Professor, Department of Planning and Regional Development, University of Thessaly, ORCID ID: 0000-0003-3060-3745

dkallior@uth.gr

Nickolaos TZEREMES

Associate Professor, Department of Economics, University of Thessaly,ORCID ID: 0000-0002-6938-3404

bus9nt@uth.gr

Panayiotis TZEREMES

Assistant Professor, Department of Accounting and Finance, University of Thessaly, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-0746-3839

tzeremes@uth.gr

Maria ADAMAKOU

PhD Candidate, Department of Planning and Regional Development, University of Thessaly

madamakou@uth.gr

Abstract

The paper examines the way(s) market potential affects the EU regions’ technological change and technological catch-up. The analysis refers to a sample of 263 NUTS II EU regions and covers the period 1995-2008 (i.e. prior to the outburst of the economic crisis). On the basis of the latest advances of nonparametric frontier analysis, and in the presence of dynamic effects, time-dependent conditional nonparametric frontiers are developed. The incorporation of the dynamic effects of the EU regions’ market potential conditions, allows for modelling the corresponding effects on technological change and technological catch-up. The findings of the paper provide valuable insight to both theory and policy-making, revealing that, within the integrated EU space, market potential acts as a technology-initiating factor, creating asymmetric effects and leaving a distinct “spatial footprint” with respect to the processes of technological change and technological catch-up.

Keywords: technological change, technological catch-up, market potential, EU regions, nonparametric frontier analysis

JEL classification: C14, O3, R11

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