The Clusters Phenomenon and Sustainable Regional Development

Regional development is closely related to a region and its competitive advantages that affect the competitiveness of the region. Regional policy, structural policy or cohesion policy have a single subject of research. Disparities are this subject of researches and analysis. The concept of regional disparity means that there are differences in the economic, social and environmental levels of the regions. Disparities cause uneven development of state territory, regions, but also cities. Disparities represent undesirable differences between states, regions, but also cities. Disparities cause, by their existence, the slowdown in development and economic growth. They represent the weak side of the region or the cities. At present, there are a large number of policies whose actions are geared to sustainable development. Policies are directed from the local level, across the regional level to the national level. The European Union's cohesion policy is aimed at addressing all types of disparities, economic, social, and territorial. Activities that create synergy effects are supported in this respect. Sustainable regional development is closely linked to sustainable urban development. Therefore, it is essential to focus on observation sustainable urban development, which can be used to ensure sustainable regional development. The cluster phenomenon is growing in popularity, becoming prevalent in strategies for economic development of countries. It is perceived as an important development tool by many organizations, such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) or European Union (EU). The goal of research is to analyse cluster policy and the relation between cluster policy, and sustainable regional development. The analysis is oriented on the Slovak Republic. The research is processed by using a wide scale of the scientific methods and procedures. The first part is based on preparation and explanation of key terms, such as the cluster, the cluster policy and European cohesion policy. Results part consists of the main findings and is prepared by using a comparative and causal analysis.