Regional Economic Competitiveness Research Articles

Learning to ride the high growth “Rollercoaster”: the role of publicly funded business accelerator programmes

AbstractHigh growth firms (HGFs) are a vital determinant of regional economic competitiveness. This paper examines the effectiveness of a Welsh publicly funded business accelerator programme (BAP) designed to nurture HGFs via relational support measures. The paper teases out both the support requirements sought by high growth entrepreneurs, together with the perceived effectiveness of the programme’s offering. Hitherto, the literature has been silent in terms of the mental well-being and psychological resilience of founders of HGFs. This study discovered how mental well-being and psychological resilience of entrepreneurs was very acutely and detrimentally affected when experiencing periods of rapid firm growth. The research also uncovered a disconnect between the support needs of HGFs and those provided by BAPs. To help develop the capabilities and durability of entrepreneurs, “growth readiness” coaching together with psychological resilience training seem appropriate policy measures to help entrepreneurs successfully navigate turbulent episodes of high growth.

Nigerian Maritime

Abstract Maritime industry clustering has in recent years gained attention as a tool for strategic global and regional economic competitiveness policies, owing to their co-location synergies and agglomeration economies. The Nigerian maritime sector is known to have a large industry, which comprises shipping and logistics firms, shipyards, ship consultants and a suite of other firms, institutions and associations with maritime functions. However, nothing is known about the structural characteristics and environmental dynamics of this significant cluster. This article, capitalising on a critical and meta-analytic review of studies and conceptual modelling, explores for the first time the Nigerian maritime industry from a cluster perspective, underpinned by the foundational competitiveness of Nigerian microeconomic performance. It further evaluates broadly the quality of the Nigerian business environment, highlighting the challenges and opportunities for strategic foresight in decision-making. Targeted recommendations predicated on cluster-specific characteristics are provided to improve cluster competitiveness.

Land Financing Model and Local Government Debt Governance: An Empirical Study of Prefecture-Level Cities in China

This paper addresses the lack of comprehensive research on land financing in relation to local government debt governance. It examines two land financing methods: "Getting revenue by selling land" and "land finance," using an endogenetic approach. The study analyzes the interactive relationship between local government debt expansion and land financing modes using panel data from Chinese prefecture-level cities. Key findings include: (1) Land financing methods significantly increase local government debt leverage, with varying performance levels. (2) Regional economic competition and financial status influence the interaction between land financing and local debt risk. (3) Fiscal and financial policies regulate local government's land financing behavior, leading to diverse approaches. To achieve effective fiscal and financial governance, it is crucial to establish a strong connection between local government debt risk prevention/control and land use mode. Implementing differentiated systems can enhance land use efficiency.

Addressing Challenges and Enhancing Regional Economic Competitiveness through Regional Cooperation

This study discusses strategies for overcoming challenges and increasing economic competitiveness in a region through regional cooperation. We identify several challenges that may arise in carrying out regional cooperation, such as differences in interests, regulatory barriers, and cultural differences. However, with the right strategy, these challenges can be overcome and generate long-term benefits for the region. This research also discusses important enabling factors in regional cooperation, including political commitment, coordination between local governments, and private sector participation. In addition, we provide policy recommendations and concrete action steps that can be taken by the government and related stakeholders to increase regional economic competitiveness through regional cooperation. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the importance of regional cooperation in overcoming regional economic challenges and increasing competitiveness. Through strong regional collaborations, regions can optimize their economic potential and achieve sustainable growth.

Dampak Kerjasama AFTA dan Indonesia Terhadap Pemulihan Perekonomian Pasca Covid-19

The ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) is an economic and trade cooperation agreement consisting of ASEAN countries. AFTA aims to realize increased trade cooperation by establishing a free trade area in an effort to increase the regional economic competitiveness by making ASEAN a global production center. This cooperation, which was formed to mutually encourage the country's economic growth, will be very useful, especially when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world. Declining economic conditions due to Covid-19 have forced all countries to carry out economic recovery in order to create post-Covid-19 economic growth. So with that, the authors conducted a study entitled "The Impact of AFTA and Indonesia Collaboration on Post-Covid-19 Economic Recovery". The purpose of this research is to find out the impact resulting from the AFTA cooperation on post-Covid-19 economic recovery. The research method used by researchers is a qualitative method, namely by collecting data through analysis and literature study. From the results of research based on literature, it can be interpreted that the existence of this AFTA cooperation is sufficient to help the economy in Indonesia.

An integrated CoCoSo-CRITIC-based decision-making framework for sustainable competitiveness evaluation of regional financial centers with interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy information

Due to the increasingly strengthened role of finance in modern economic development, theoretical research on regional financial competitiveness in the study of regional economic competitiveness becomes very important. For China at this stage, finance is in a period of rapid development, and its role has penetrated into all aspects of social and economic life. Especially after China’s entry into the WTO, the pace of opening up the financial market has been further accelerated, and comprehensive evaluation and analysis of financial competitiveness is of great significance for comprehensively understanding and accurately grasping China’s national conditions, national strength, and international competitiveness, promoting the long-term growth of China’s financial competitiveness, and the sustainable development of the financial industry. The competitiveness evaluation of regional financial centers is looked as the multiple attribute decision-making (MADM) problem. This paper intends to propose a MADM methodology based on CoCoSo (Combined Compromise Solution) method under interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IVIFSs) for sustainable competitiveness evaluation of regional financial centers. At the end of this study, we noticed to a comparison between the proposed IVIF-CoCoSo approach with other existing methods to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm.

Optimization of Tourism Management Based on Regional Tourism Competitiveness Evaluation: Evidence from Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China

This paper evaluated the regional tourism competitiveness of 22 county-level administrative regions in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China. The study analyzed the connotation of regional tourism competitiveness from the perspectives of resources and economic and environmental benefits, and established an evaluation index system for comprehensive competitiveness. The study used entropy weight TOPSIS to measure the level of tourism competitiveness in Ningxia, and used spatial association and hot and cold analysis to describe the spatial pattern of comprehensive tourism competitiveness in Ningxia. The results indicated that Lingwu City, Xixia District, and Huinong District have high comprehensive tourism competitiveness, while Jingyuan County, Haiyuan County, and Hongsipu District exhibit the weakest comprehensive competitiveness. The study also showed that regional economic development level competitiveness had the greatest impact on the comprehensive competitiveness of county tourism in Ningxia. The northern region and the southern region of Ningxia were the regions with high-high clusters and low-low clusters of tourism competitiveness, respectively. Based on the comprehensive evaluation results, the development level of tourism of Ningxia county was classified into four types: advanced development type, marginal dependence type, improved optimization type, and backward development type. Finally, the paper put forward targeted optimization suggestions in order to provide reference for Ningxia tourism functional zoning and high-quality development.

Modeling determinants of the Generation Z regional perception on the periphery: To stay or to leave

Regional attractiveness plays a crucial role in regional economic development and competitiveness. Despite interest in out-migration from peripheral regions, most studies overlooked Generation Z members in perceiving these factors. Therefore, the paper aims to examine the effect of the regional perception of Generation Z on their expectation of out-migration from the peripheral region. The focus group comprised 56 respondents (stakeholders) selected through purposive sampling by regional development agencies in three peripheral regions of the Czech Republic to identify regional perception indicators. The exploratory factor analysis and the principal component analysis were used to detect latent constructs of the identified regional perception indicators. Logistic regression was used to model the association between latent constructs and Generation Z’s intention to leave or to stay in the peripheral region. Economic, social, and environmental dimensions were detected as latent constructs of regional perception indicators. The first dimension represents smartness and opportunities; the second, openness, is accompanied by culture; and the third, a safe and clean environment. The estimation results suggest the effect of the economic and lifestyle dimensions (β = 0.528, p < 0.001) and the social dimension (β = 0.292, p < 0.01) of the regional perception on the intention of Generation Z to leave or stay in the peripheral region, without the effect of the environmental dimension (β = 0.033, p = 0.740). The paper emphasizes the importance of economic, lifestyle, and social indicators of regional perception in place-based policies to retain Generation Z in the peripheral regions. AcknowledgmentThis paper was supported by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic – program ÉTA under Grant TL03000525 – Design of a Model of Metropolitan Areas in the Czech Republic affected by depopulation.

Regional Economic Competition, Fiscal Subsidies, and Overcapacity

Promotion tournaments theory and regional economic competition can be used to explain China's overcapacity. This study used the non-radial distance function to evaluate the overcapacity considering resource and environmental pollution, combined with Chinese industrial enterprise data, to evaluate the fiscal subsidies and their impact on regional industrial capacity. Empirical evidence based on provincial panel data shows that to strive for more foreign investment, local governments tend to increase fiscal subsidies to industrial enterprises and inhibit capacity utilization, but the technology diffusion and competitive effect of foreign investment can also weaken this adverse effect. The heterogeneity analysis based on geographical location shows that the fiscal subsidies to industrial enterprises weaken the improvement effect of economic competition on capacity utilization in coastal cities, but there is no such impact in inland cities. Reducing the government's excessive intervention and promoting orderly competition are essential to eliminating overcapacity.

The Evolution of the Spatial Patterns of Startup Firms in the Tibet Autonomous Region, China in the 21st Century

It is increasingly recognized by policymakers and the academic community that startup firms play an important role in enhancing national and regional economic competitiveness. Existing studies have focused mainly on developed countries and highly marketed city-regions in developing countries, lacking sufficient attention to underdeveloped regions. The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) is the poorest province in post 1949 ‘New China’. In recent years, the TAR’s government has released a series of policies to encourage the establishment and development of startup firms, but understanding how to promote social development and economic growth through the creation and development of startup firms is still a significant issue for the TAR’s government. Therefore, taking Tibet as a case area, this article discusses the evolution of the spatial patterns of startup firms in underdeveloped regions in China. The findings include: ① The past two decades have witnessed tremendous growth in the number of startup firms; however, the number and rate of growth are not geographically even. ② In terms of geographical distribution, startup firms in the TAR have concentrated on or around key nodes along major transport corridors (place dependence); however, with the development of transportation infrastructure and development zones, they have also been established in new localities (place creation). ③ Although all subregions of the TAR have spatial agglomerations of startup firms, they are different in agglomeration characteristics. Finally, after acknowledging shortcomings in its research, this article calls for multi-sited research to investigate the diversity of the spatial patterns and dynamics of new firm formation in the underdeveloped regions of China.

Analysis of China’s Regional Economic Competitiveness, Regionalization, and Spatial Aggregation Characteristics Based on Density Clustering Algorithm

Regional development disparities, especially in developing countries, have traditionally been one of the central issues of empirical research in regional economics. However, this rapid change is accompanied by profound changes in the spatial distribution of economic activities in China, the formation of regional economic “blocks,” the widening of regional disparities, and the geographical concentration of economic growth efficiency are important issues highlighted in this change. Therefore, it is important to explore the spatial clustering characteristics and patterns of regional economic growth to provide a scientific basis for relevant government departments to formulate reasonable regional development strategies and promote the balanced and stable development of economic growth. Clustering analysis is an important research topic in the field of data mining, which is used to discover unknown object classes in large-scale data sets. This paper proposes a density-clustering algorithm based on the regional economic competitiveness of China and analyzes its spatial aggregation characteristics. From the perspective of spatial structure theory, economic development is a dynamic process, and to optimize the spatial pattern of China’s regional economic development and improve the efficiency of economic interaction between regions, it is necessary to fully exploit the diffusion and trickle-down effects of important growth poles in the region to the surrounding areas. The experimental results show that the error rate of KSNN is very small, and the error rate of K-means and PSO has increased to a certain extent. Therefore, it can be obtained that the density-clustering algorithm based on the regional economic competitiveness zoning method in China can find out the correct clustering results without the given clustering individual cases. Thus, it is important to grasp the current situation of regional economic agglomeration and reveal the driving factors of agglomeration formation to promote the coordinated development of regional economy and guide the spatial layout of economic development.

Directions for preserving the economic security of the regions using the cluster approach

In the economic space, the one who has managed to create key competencies and produce competitive processes and products wins. In turn, competitiveness in the modern economy is achieved due to the increase in the level of innovativeness of developments, which directly depends on the investment opportunities of the actors of economic relations and the conditions of macro- and microenvironment of management. In the new political and economic conditions, the most important thing is to maintain the achieved level of competitiveness of regional economies and the potential for its further development, which will make it possible not to lose economic security in the future as an element of the national security of state. One of the leading forms of associations in regional economies has been the creation and operation of economic clusters of various types, combining private initiative, state support, and scientific and educational component. The cluster approach has shown its effectiveness both on a global scale and at the regional level of the Russian Federation. In this regard, it is proposed to continue its use at the current stage of Russia's development and proposals are made that are designed to maintain positive trends in regional development and preserve the economic security of Russian regions based on the cluster approach.

Assessing the immunity of regional economic security and competitiveness

Subject. This article explores the independence of regions in the management of financial, industrial and natural resources. Objectives. The article aims to develop a new methodology for assessing the economic security of the region. Methods. For the study, I used logical, expert, and statistical analyses. Results. The article finds that the economic potential of the Bukhara Region is not used enough, due to which there is a decrease in indicators characterizing investment attractiveness, innovative activity, the degree of use of resources, as well as the standard of living of the population in the region. Conclusions. The article concludes that it is necessary to constantly monitor economic security to identify threats to the development of the region and minimize risks.

Analysis of Economic Growth Core and Periphery: Evidence from Aceh Province, Indonesia

This research is to determine factors that influenced Gross Regional Development Product (GRDP) Banda Aceh and Lhokseumawe city in context relationship between core and periphery using panel data regression of 23 districts/cities in Aceh Province, Indonesia year 2010-2020. Selected independent variables in this paper are GRDP core and periphery, population, distance between core and periphery, availability of hospital, availability of university and availability of industry. Based on estimation results, all independent variabels have significant effect toward GRDP Banda Aceh and Lhokseumawe city. Variabels that found have positive effect toward GRDP Banda Aceh city are GRDP core and periphery, and distance between core and periphery. Variabels that found have negative effect toward GRDP core Banda Aceh city are population, availability of hospital, availability of university and availability of industry. Then, variabels that found have positive effect toward GRDP Lhokseumawe city are GRDP core and periphery, distance between core and periphery, and availability of university. Variabels that found have negative effect toward GRDP core Lhokseumawe city are population, availability of hospital, and availability of industry. It is hoped that this findings will provide useful information for policymakers in attempt to enhance the competitiveness of regional economy.

Economic Competitiveness and Quality of Human Resources in West Sumatra


 
 
 Economic development is essentially an effort to improve people’s welfare through increasing and promoting equitable distribution of people’s income. The logical consequence of regional development in the current era of globalization is an increasingly sharp level of direct competition in the marketing of goods and services, both in the domestic market and the international market, for all regions in the national territory. The purpose of this study was, first, to analyze the characteristics and level of competitiveness of the regional economy and human resources in districts and cities in West Sumatra. Secondly, we aimed to investigate the relationships between regional economic performance, human resources and typology between regions in West Sumatra. This research used descriptive qualitative and quantitative methods and analyses. To determine the pattern and structure of regional economic growth, the Klassen typology was used. Then to examine the overall ranking of regional economic competitiveness, the average and standard deviation of the main indicator were calculated. The results indicated that the highest economic performance and quality of human resources were in the city of Padang, followed by Bukittinggi, Padang Panjang, Payakumbuh, and Solok. The lowest competitiveness was dominated by regencies such as Solok Selayan, Pesisir Selatan, and the Mentawai Islands. This was also supported by the findings of Klassen’s typology.
 Keywords: competitiveness, region, Klassen typology, performance
 
 

Принятие решений по трансферу технологий в региональном инновационном кластере в условиях неопределенности и риска

Regional innovative clusters unite various organizations related to high-tech industries, which is located in concrete region, on the basis of cooperative activity, common interests and complementarity to their functions, resources and capabilities. This accelerates research and development processes and provides market entry of final product that is of fundamental importance for competitiveness of manufactured product as well as of regional innovative cluster as a hole and region of its location. The paper aims to develop methods and recommendations on technology transfer in regional innovation cluster as a tool for optimization of risks of its innovation activity. They include the development of the methodology for decision making on transfer of technology in innovation cluster under uncertainty and risk. As a result, we made calculations on the conditional example, in accordance with proposed methodology. In conclusion, application of proposed methodology in regional innovation cluster allows to optimize risks at the stage of implementation of developed technology in the manufacturing of final product and to accelerate its market entry that can be considered as a factor of regional economic competitiveness.

Infrastructure investment projects: financing and management mechanisms

The article analyses the modern market for project finance, its sectorial structure, and main development trends. In this study, the project financing method is used, which is the most effective when applied to infrastructure investment projects under the principles of public-private partnership. The use of this method permitted the breakdown of project development in two tiers, national and commercial. Results from the project financing method can be used not only to decide on the feasibility and conditions of project implementation, but also to justify management decisions at the stage of its implementation, so that the achievements are consistent with the planned goals. The concept of managing regional economic competitiveness was developed and is built around the use of PPP. The practical significance of the study is that its main provisions allow for an effective regional socio-economic policy, based on the systemic development of regional infrastructure and aimed at boosting competitiveness.

Analysis of Increasing Regional Economic Competitiveness in the Agricultural Sector in Increasing Regional Economic Growth

The rate of economic growth continues to decline As a result of the declining rate of growth of gross domestic product, the number of poor people increases. Various steps have been taken by the government to increase economic growth by utilizing local resources in each region.This study aims to explain the role of the agricultural sector in efforts to increase regional economic growth in East Luwu Regency and the competitiveness of the agricultural sector. This research uses quantitative methods with data analysis using Location Quotient (LQ), Shift Share (SS), Klassen Typology and Market Structure Analysis . The results of this study show that the LQ analysis and Klassen typology analysis show that the agricultural sector is a potential sector and can still grow. The implication of the article is that local governments must encourage agricultural productivity, transform towards agro-industry and increase market share as well as provide agricultural product processing facilities to increase product selling value

Improving economic position of Vietnam in Asean Economic Community (AEC) from the global integration perspectives

After participating in ASEAN, and through various dialogue mechanisms, Vietnam now has become a more important and comprehensive economic member of the ASEAN Economic Community. This study focuses on analyzing the process of participating in the ASEAN Community and the roles and contributions of Vietnam in this organization to affirms Vietnam's position in the process of forming the AEC and demonstrates Vietnam's priorities for the integration process. The paper uses the primary and secondary data by using tools of desk research of different data in relativeness and by the quantitative method by using the Cobb-Doughlas function with a logarithmic form. The paper confirms the integration of Vietnam's economy into the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is an inevitable development after the achieved results of ASEAN's cooperation and economic connection. The AEC is an open regional economic integration model. The implementation of the AEC will bring in multi-dimensional impacts on member countries, and the extent of these impacts will depend on the level of regional and international economic integration, competitiveness, and effectiveness of policy reform in each country.

ФІНАНСОВА ПІДТРИМКА ВПРОВАДЖЕННЯ ІННОВАЦІЙ В МСП У РАМКАХ СМАРТСПЕЦІАЛІЗАЦІЇ РЕГІОНІВ ЄВРОПЕЙСЬКОГО СОЮЗУ

The intentions of the Ukrainian authorities to increase the competitiveness of regional economies based on smart specialization caused the study of the characteristics of financing projects of smart specialization of regions of the European Union. The introduction of innovations in the activities of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to increase their competitiveness is one of the key areas of financial support for smart specialization. The aim of the study is to identify the effectiveness of financial support for smart specialization projects in the EU regions in terms of funding research, development and innovation aimed at improving the competitiveness of small and medium-sized businesses. In the course of the study, we analyzed the databases of the European Structural and Investment Funds on the amount of funding for research, development and innovation aimed at increasing the competitiveness of small and medium-sized busi nesses, by areas of funding and EU countries. We also compared the level of use of funds and the level of achievement of the goals planned in the projects. EU countries and regions used the funds planned by the European Structural and Investment Funds to finance the implementation of innovations in SMEs only by a third due to weak interaction of SMEs with research centers, as well as due to insufficient projects to improve the efficiency of SMEs through implementation results of research, development and innovation. The main emphasis in supporting small and medium-sized businesses through the implementation of research advances has been placed in the smart specialization strategies of the Netherlands, Slovakia, Poland, the United Kingdom and Germany. However, the largest amount of funding for research, development and innovation in SMEs in 2014-2020 among EU member states was planned, in addition to Poland and Germany, for Italy and Spain. The analysis showed that by 2020 the level of implementation of only certain goals of smart specialization reached 50 % or more of the planned indicators. However, in the context of the EU countries, there was no homogeneity in achieving all the goals related to the development and functioning of small and medium-sized businesses through the implementation of research, development and innovation. The efficiency of using the financial resources of the European Structural and Investment Funds for the implementation of smart specialization strategies in the EU regions was not high. It is likely that by 2023 when the projects launched in 2014-2020 will be completed, the level of achievement by the EU regions of smart specialization goals in terms of implementing research, development and innovation in SMEs will increase. Nevertheless, in our opinion, it will not be possible to achieve their full implementation.