SMART GROWTH INDICATORS IN ROMANIA. FROM EXPERIMENTAL INNOVATION TO ROUTINE IMPLEMENTATION

Paul Vasile Zai () and Denisa Ioana Bojan ()
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Paul Vasile Zai: BabeÅŸ-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Denisa Ioana Bojan: BabeÅŸ-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

APPLIED RESEARCH IN ADMINISTRATIVE SCIENCES, 2025, vol. 6, issue 2, 38-46

Abstract: This paper evaluates the effects of EU Structural Funds in Romania by comparing ten key indicators across the 2007-2013 (2015 - N+2) and 2014-2020 (2023 - N+3) programming periods. Using national and European data and ratio-based formulas, the study documents significant shifts: a noticeable decline in the digitalization ratio and start-up creation rate, contrasted by strong gains in fund-absorption speed and overall project volume. The findings highlight Romania’s enhanced administrative capacity, yet they reveal persistent challenges in early-stage innovation, SME efficiency and urban-rural equity. The insights offer a data-driven foundation for policy optimization, guiding targeted interventions to promote digital uptake, entrepreneurial activity and balanced regional development.

Keywords: smart growth metrics; innovation; digital maturity shift; data-driven governance; administrative learning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:rom:arasju:v:6:y:2025:i:2:p:38-46

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