Regionálne disparity – príčiny a možné riešenia

Abstract

Authors of this paper address the issue of regional disparities existing not only within the Slovak Republic but also within different countries worldwide. The present study attempts to analyse the main causes and effects of regional disparities. The authors selected two regions for the research, the Trenčín region and the Prešov region. The most distinctive characteristic of the former region is a low level of unemployment in the long-term, well-developed and functioning infrastructure as well as a multitude of industries. The latter region is characteristic for its high level of unemployment, higher proportion of minorities, less developed infrastructure, and prevailing trading activities and industrial production. When examining regional inequalities, the authors analyse indicators of economic and social development such as unemployment rate, average wages, disposable income, number of people on welfare, at-risk-of-poverty rate, migration, crime rate, etc. In general terms, western regions are believed to be richer than eastern regions. The authors try to determine correctness of this belief and identify differences in the regions under consideration. In addition, they try to compare and explain both the data collected and the position of both regions within the Slovak Republic. Moreover, they attempt to highlight the strengths of both regions, they draw attention to weaknesses and propose the ways of eliminating disparities. The interest in regional development and regional policy in Slovakia has increased significantly recently. The reason may be seen in increasing regional disparities and possible drawing of financial resources for regional development. Apart from the on-going process of eliminating disparities, reducing tensions between regions is imperative.