Main Indicators of the Competitiveness of the Regions of Northern Hungary and the Southern Hungarian Plain

Abstract

In the past decade, the spatial operation of the economy and society has undergone radical changes mainly due to globalisationm processes. As a result, we have to re-evaluate earlier standpoints on the economic development and growth of the regions, on developing the economy and on regional policies. The elaboration of answers and responses to global developments and at the same time to the financial crisis has also accelerated in the European Union. The strategic paper, Europe 2020, adopted in June 2010, formulates a strategy of intelligent, sustainable and inclusive growth. Following an overview of new explanations of regional economic growth and the new objectives of the European Union, the paper looks at the main indicators of the competitiveness of the regions of Northern Hungary and the Southern Hungarian Plain together with those of their counties and small regions.

The paper attempts to analyse the impact of the economic crisis on poverty. In view of the fact that one of the accompanying phenomena of the economic crisis is a decline in economic performance, it seeks to answer the question to what extent this affects poverty. It seeks to prove that an economic decline contributes not only to a growing proportion of the society becoming impoverished, but significantly increases the depth of poverty as well. If this hypothesis is true, it is worth examining to what extent a unit of economic growth (or decline) decreases (or increases) the rate of the poor and the depth of poverty.