Dynamics of competitiveness of the regions in Bulgaria

Abstract

Balanced development of regions is one of the European Union's goals. Region competitiveness is an approach used for assessing regional development and regional inequalities. The aim of the paper was to research the regions in Bulgaria by estimating their competitiveness and comparing the scores obtained with previous periods. A Regional Competitiveness Index (RCI) was designed on the basis of 10 indicators: population density per sq. km; natural growth; rate of employed persons; relative share of population aged between 25-64 with a higher education degree; foreign direct investment per capita in non-financial enterprises on cumulative basis; expenditure on acquisition of tangible fixed assets; productivity; turnover per capita; gross domestic expenditure on research and development per person engaged in research and development, and relative share of people aged between 16-74 years who have used the internet in the last 12 months. The period of research was 2004-2015, and it confirmed the leading role of Sofia (capital) district. At the bottom of the ranking scale, the less competitive regions were Vidin,

Study of Regional Inequalities: Case of Bulgaria

“…Although the method was described in previous publications (Ivanov 2008(Ivanov , 2010(Ivanov , 2016(Ivanov , 2017, it is presented again in this publication for better understanding and clarity of analyses and results.…”

Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness in the Terms of Endogenization of Regional Economy Processes on the Example of Eastern Poland Poviats in 2007-2018

“…Regional differences and imbalances are a serious obstacle to sustainable development. The assessment of the competitiveness of regions is important for an effective and efficient regional policy, and for both private and state, local and foreign investors (Ivanov 2017). Increasing the competitiveness of regions should be treated as an instrument to achieve the ultimate goalsocial and economic development.…”