REGIONAL DISPARITIES – HISTORICAL CULTURAL INFLUENCES AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN ROMANIA

Maria Otil and Monica Boldea
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Maria Otil: FACULTY OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, WEST UNIVERSITY OF TIMISOARA
Monica Boldea: FACULTY OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, WEST UNIVERSITY OF TIMISOARA

Annals - Economy Series, 2015, vol. 4, 74-83

Abstract: In recent decades, the issue of regional disparities has become a highly debated topic, knowledge regarding regional disparities being a matter of political priority as their persistence hinders the appropriate integration process. On the other hand, emphasis was put on integration through the process of EU enlargement, thus highlighting other issues related to the nature and size of disparities. Regional disparities regarding development and the living standards of the population have long been the concern of all Member States. In the case of Romania, recently admitted into the European structures, registering large backlogs to economically developed countries, the intense mobilization of internal and external factors of economic growth in order to reduce and eliminate disparities compared to other countries, represents a clear necessity. The "European Union" (EU) project is of an unprecedented complexity and scale because it involves a plurality of states, which are culturally and economically heterogeneous. Moreover, these economic and cultural differences exist even within the states. Hence, there is also the central idea of the Union, regarding unity in diversity. In Romania the local, regional communities have a strong identity, but still evolving. Taking into account Romania's objective of successfully integrating into European structures, and the principles of democratic decision-making requires that regional development should aim at reducing economic and social disparities based on a notable involvement of the local, regional communities. Based on these facts, the paper aims to present the current regional (and intra-regional) disparities in Romania with regard to a number of synthetic indicators of capital, of labor and of outcomes. The persistence in time of these economic disparities can be explained by considering the cultural legacies – represented by norms, values, institutions, that impact on how people interact, communicate, investigate, think, consult, negotiate and act, influencing the behavior at community / society level.

Keywords: regional development; regional disparities; the cultural factor; geographical history (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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