Basic research cooperation on European regional
development and competitiveness
by Csaba Lakócai
In a research cooperation with the Strasbourg-based European Youth
Think Tank (EYTT), Csaba Lakócai, research fellow at the Institute of World Economics, has been conducting basic research since 2023 on the spatial patterns of contemporary socio-economic development in the EU at the NUTS2 regional level. 
The authors have published three papers, and two additional paper manuscripts have been accepted for publication in Scopus and Web of Science indexed journals.
The primary research question concerns the identification of the causes and implications of the uneven territorial performance and spatial concentrations in the EU in terms of the Regional Competitiveness Index (RCI) and other socio-economic variables.
Some of the main findings of the research:
- The socio-economic performance of EU regions is significantly influenced by their spatial neighborhood and proximity.
- Recent developments have given rise to a partial territorial reorganization and an eastward shift within the European Union with respect to regional competitiveness.
- The redistribution of resources and policy interventions for territorial convergence at the local, regional, national and EU levels may prove beneficial in the long term. These benefits may be experienced not only by the recipient territories but also by more developed regions.
- The promotion of social cohesion and inclusion in both developed and lagging regions is of greater importance than the pursuit of economic growth at any cost.
References:
Capoani, L., Corò, G and Lakócai, C. 2025. “Metropolitan backbones and industrial peripheries: a spatial study on regional competitiveness in the European Union.” Economia e Società Regionale 2025/1: 87–114.
Capoani, L, Lakócai, C., Imbesi, C. and Veen, VV. 2024. “Blue Banana Dynamics and the Perspective of Its Edges.” European Spatial Research and Policy 31(2): 95–130.
Lakócai, C. and Capoani, L. 2023. “Spatial Dynamics of Regional Competitiveness in Central and Eastern Europe.” Global Economic Observer, 11(2):13–21.
