Welcome to Regional Development section

Were you ever gazing through the window of a train observing the changing landscape, which, like a giant conveyor belt, kept bringing you still images of villages, towns and cities, remote places and densely populated ones? Did you have an impression that in the end all of this merged into a colourful order of roads, buildings, factories and agricultural lands scattered among rivers and lakes, fields and forests, hills, mountains and lowlands? In short, did you ever notice how human activity varies across geographical space?


Were you ever gazing through the window of a train observing the changing landscape, which, like a giant conveyor belt, kept bringing you still images of villages, towns and cities, remote places and densely populated ones? Did you have an impression that in the end all of this merged into a colourful order of roads, buildings, factories and agricultural lands scattered among rivers and lakes, fields and forests, hills, mountains and lowlands? In short, did you ever notice how human activity varies across geographical space? I am pretty sure that you did. If so, then most probably you also noticed the sometimes really striking differences between the levels of development of two different locations. If you think of your home country, it is very likely that you already have a clear idea about which part of it is well-developed and which is lagging behind.

It is quite common to compare and analyze cross-country differences but it makes a lot of sense to go one level deeper and observe regional disparities as well within a given country. By giving it a further twist, one may also analyze cross-country regional differences of development. This is what regional scientists do and this is also what I am especially interested in. What makes a particular region develop while its neighbour may experience crisis at the same time? What causes the patterns of regional development within one country and what could account for cross-country regional differences? Is this related to the diverse local endowments, state-level development policies, historical and cultural traditions, local entrepreneurial and innovative skills or are there external, transnational forces that have crucial impact on the local level? Most probably all of these factors exert substantial influence on regional and local development but the above list is still far from exhaustive.

Those who study regional development tend to claim that development patterns demonstrate a path-dependent character. This implies that historical legacies and certain crucial events in the past influence the choices made in the present. Briefly, already existing regional disparities are more often being reinforced over time than not. In Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) this issue may be even more salient than in some Western European countries. The experience after the change of regime suggests that the location choices of foreign investors have to a great extent reinforced regional disparities in CEE countries and laggard regions are less and less able to catch up.

However, I am not convinced at all by such arguments. Be it wishful thinking or not, I would like to see regions that are able to overcome their inherited disadvantageous positions. I would like to understand what makes a region successful and what the reasons are for eventual failures. How do local, national and transnational forces interact at the local level and how do they influence regional development? What is the potential role of local governments and their associations in this process? How do national and EU-level development policies contribute to success stories or breakdowns? Ultimately, is it possible to beat path-dependent trajectories?

In this blog, I am going to discuss these issues, focusing on the Central and Eastern European countries, while paying particular attention to the Visegrad group, to Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. Special attention will also be devoted to local cross-border cooperations and other initiatives that are “bottom-up” movements aiming at overcoming regional disparities. Given the highly complex nature of the problem, the blog is also intended to be complex and I will attempt to address the above issues from several perspectives. In sum, I invite you, dear reader, for an exciting adventure into regional science!

Gergő Medve-Bálint