engleski

Economic Characteristics and Developmental Prospects of East Croatia

According to the current territorial constitution, East Croatia occupies approximately 22% of the national territory, and approximately 19% of the Croatian population lives in its five counties. Although it used to be an important economic region, it is presently burdened with numerous social and economic problems. Previous studies of regional disparities indicate a long-term lag of East Croatia as a specific economic, cultural, and social region. Therefore, the objective of this study is to examine key economic characteristics of the region, as well as the possible causes of economic trends. Macroeconomic and structural characteristics of the economy were analysed on the basis of the selected development indicators. Results of the analysis indicate continuous deterioration of economic conditions in all the respective counties after 2008, as well as the increase in regional disparities in this area comapred to the Republic of Croatia. The authors identified extremely negative demographic trends as one of the key factors of negative economic trends and increase in development divergence. In this sense, creation of a successful model of national regional policy is a precondition for efficient use of all development resources, and encouraging investments in comparative primary activities is an important factor in the revitalisation of East Croatia.

East Croatia ; economy ; regional disparities ; demographic trends

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