Unequal development of municipalities: socio-economic paradox in Bulgaria

Abstract

The paper aims at investigating how different municipalities in Bulgaria are developing in terms of attractiveness and competitiveness of employee's salaries. Even though some small municipalities are remote from the capital city in Bulgaria, they remain paradoxically the highest in terms of salary size. These municipalities are linked to high employability and high average salaries in comparison to other small municipalities across Bulgaria. Furthermore, the paper suggests that municipalities with big employers, particularly in oil and gas sector and energy sectors are characterised with high number of qualified employees, higher attractiveness and higher wealth than the rest of the municipalities in Bulgaria. The paper's findings show that one of the most suitable and relevant ways of reducing the unequal socio-economic development among the Bulgarian municipalities is the promotion and realisation of public private partnerships.