The Socio-Economic Development of Cross-Border Territories: Statistical Monitoring

Abstract

Because the methodology for studying the socio-economic development of cross-border territories is still poorly developed in the Ukrainian science, this study aims to highlight its theoretical essence and justify the need for statistical monitoring and identification of practical problems related with its applications at personal, institutional and regional level. 
 Given the global market competition, the socio-economic development of cross-border territories is impossible without creating favorable financial, institutional and infrastructure environment. The socio-economic development of cross-border territories is determined by a set of indicators reflecting the capabilities of territories located on both sides of the border to produce a certain output of goods and services using the available human and material resources. 
 The importance of cross-border statistics grows with the expansion of cross-border cooperation. Cross-border statistics refers to the generalized information on the socio-economic development of cross-border territories; it has to support the CBC-related operation of central and local administration bodies and private entities in border regions, aimed at expanding business partnerships and meeting public needs on border territories.
 The source of data for cross-border statistics is the statistics of border regions. The analysis shows that trial decisions used now in the Ukrainian statistics system for testing border region statistics, such as statistics of tourism, including travels abroad, are not capable to meet information needs of the regional development policy, foreign trade statistics and statistics of internal and external migration.
 The statistics of cross-border regions has to face the following challenges: improve the comparability of statistical indicators by harmonizing statistical surveys’ methodology, terminology, definitions and classifications; expand and improve printing and publishing activities; develop analytical work; introduce and develop cross-border surveys; construct on-line cross-border database.