REGIONAL DISPARITIES AND COMPETITIVENESS OF SLOVAK REGIONS

Competitiveness on a global, regional or local level is influenced by numerous factors, which are the subject of scientific research, but fact proven by the time and conditions is that balanced economic and social development of regions is determined by the portfolio of the structure of regional economy. Slovak Republic, as well other EU member countries have problems with inter-regional differences for a long time. These are manifested in various forms - in the plane of the economic, social, environmental and other. Various regional macroeconomic indicators are used to express and quantify inter-regional differences. Reducing regional disparities is one of the main objectives of regional and structural policy EU. In Slovakia, to the deepening of regional disparities has contributed significantly transition from centrally planned economy to a market economy that brought many changes which still persist. The aim of this paper is to assess the competitiveness of regions in Slovakia and inter-regional differences in terms of selected macroeconomic regional indicators. We used the method analysis of issues, synthesis of information, spatial and temporal comparisons and mathematical and statistical methods.