Methods of Multivariate Analysis to Uncover Socio-Economic Differences Among Spatial-Economics Entities

Main aim of regional policy is to reduce regional disparities. There is now doubt that action to tackle regional disparities is needed in Croatia. Main problem is the definition of region as a subject of regional policy. After discussion about definition of region and main criteria which should be considered during the process of establishment of regions, the paper will present one of the methodologies for spatial-economic entities' classification. The methodology will be used on the working sample of several Croatian counties. The classification will be obtained through use of multivariate statistical methods, and it is based on a wide number of demographic, economic, educations, employment indicators. Results leads to the identification of several axes of socio-economic characterisation, and the division of the observed territory into several homogenous clusters, regions with different degree of development. The main conclusion is that socio-economic reorients uncovered with this methodology provide useful characterisation and division of the territory, for policy making purpose.

Introduction of Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics in Croatia

The paper presents the process of introduction of the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) in Croatia. It will be discussed about all criteria that should be applied during that process of establishment and about constraints that disable reaching optimal solution. First constraint was the EUROSTAT's recommendation that the establishment of the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics should be based on the existing administrative division of the state territory. According to the main criteria (population size) the entire territory of the Republic of Croatia represents NUTS level I, existing counties NUTS level III, and the existing administrative units as municipalities and cities fulfil criteria of the establishment of NUTS IV level regions. As there are no administrative territorial units that correspond to NUTS level II, which is the main framework for the implementation of regional policy and the one competent for the analysis of regional problems and analyses, the most suitable solution is the formation of this level by combining counties. The biggest problem is how to define the NUTS II level. 1.Aggravating circumstance is the fact that in the Republic of Croatia a longer-lasting division in real regional units has never been established, which could serve as the basis for regional development policy. By this fact alone, the division of the territory of the Republic of Croatia in second level statistical units brings with it also a sensitive issue of regionalisation of Croatia and leads to political debates. To this contribute also the fact that the existing monitoring of statistical data on lower levels is not satisfactory, and the problem of data as the basis for quality economic analysis appeared. 2. In Croatia there are neither set regional boundaries nor a clearly defined regional policy. By introducing NUTS it would be possible to establish regional statistics as a basis for the formulation of regional policy. In the remainder the paper discusses main criteria which should be considered during the process of establishment regions as subject of regional policy. It presents how regionalisation depends on the criteria used and how different profession use different criteria. At the end, the final proposal of the Decision on the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics will be presented. Key words: regional policy, regionalisatio

Comparative analysis of regional unemployment and RGDP in Croatia and selected transition countries

Most transition economies have experienced a prolonged periods of high unemployment rates and decline of the growth rates at the beginning of transition process. However, after the initial decline in the economic activity, a period of stronger growth rates was recorded in most of the transition countries. Many analyses were done on this initial phase of transition process so we are concentrating on more successful period of transition process. Through the analysis of a regional gross domestic product dynamics in Croatian regions and several other European Union Candidate Countries we are identifying common development patterns in selected countries. Furthermore, since the unemployment is severe problem in most of the transition countries in our sample, and the increasing employment is one of the goals of the European Union, we expect that this issue will receive greater attention in the future. Due to the fact that regional structural developments were not sufficiently analysed, at least not in Croatia, we hope that this comparative study will contribute to the existing literature. Previous studies confirm that the economic growth during the more successful phase of transition was not strong enough to help to clear the labour market in selected countries. But these results are predominately concentrated on the country, and not on the regional level. Therefore, we analyse regional development in order to identify whether there are common patterns in Croatian regions with regions in other transition countries. We also compare our set of indicators with those in the European Union regions, particularly those geographically closer to Croatia. The main obstacle to regional analysis in Croatia is the lack of adequate statistical data. Therefore, first part of our paper consists of generating the relevant indicators. Since the paper is oriented to analysis, we do not focus on methodological problems. We are, however, aware of the limitations imposed on the interpretations of our results due to the fact. Key words: RGDP, unemployment, comparative regional analysis. JEL Classification: R19, J69, R11.

Methods of Multivariate Analysis to Uncover Socio-Economic Differences Among Spatial-Economics Entities

Main aim of regional policy is to reduce regional disparities. There is now doubt that action to tackle regional disparities is needed in Croatia. Main problem is the definition of region as a subject of regional policy. After discussion about definition of region and main criteria which should be considered during the process of establishment of regions, the paper will present one of the methodologies for spatial-economic entities' classification. The methodology will be used on the working sample of several Croatian counties. The classification will be obtained through use of multivariate statistical methods, and it is based on a wide number of demographic, economic, educations, employment indicators. Results leads to the identification of several axes of socio-economic characterisation, and the division of the observed territory into several homogenous clusters, regions with different degree of development. The main conclusion is that socio-economic reorients uncovered with this methodology provide useful characterisation and division of the territory, for policy making purpose

Governance Structures for Local Economic Development in Croatia

Who should take care of local economic development in Croatia? This question seems trivial, however, there are still some open questions. According to current legislation, local economic development is an administrative task of the 21 counties, the current units of regional self-government. On the other hand, the cities and municipalities as units of local self-government regularly get involved in economic development activities, though this is not directly defined in the legislation. There is a contradiction concerning development capacity of cities and counties. Cities attract population and economic activity and are usually stronger than counties in terms of financial and human resources that are necessary for economic development activities. This research will question if the existing administrative-territorial setup and functions of counties in Croatia correspond to the needs of economic growth and development on local level. It is also intended to get some insights from contemporary concepts that derive from trade theory, location theory and economic geography. Governance relations between bigger cities and counties in fostering local economic development in Croatia will be examined. For this purpose, local and regional data will be analyzed and through the discussion on existing governance structures, qualitative insights on the appropriateness of the current situation will be presented. The main goal of this research paper is to find quantitative and qualitative justification for an appropriate governance structure for fostering local economic development in Croatia.

Comparative analysis of regional unemployment and RGDP in Croatia and selected transition countries

Most transition economies have experienced a prolonged periods of high unemployment rates and decline of the growth rates at the beginning of transition process. However, after the initial decline in the economic activity, a period of stronger growth rates was recorded in most of the transition countries. Many analyses were done on this initial phase of transition process so we are concentrating on more successful period of transition process. Through the analysis of a regional gross domestic product dynamics in Croatian regions and several other European Union Candidate Countries we are identifying common development patterns in selected countries. Furthermore, since the unemployment is severe problem in most of the transition countries in our sample, and the increasing employment is one of the goals of the European Union, we expect that this issue will receive greater attention in the future. Due to the fact that regional structural developments were not sufficiently analysed, at least not in Croatia, we hope that this comparative study will contribute to the existing literature. Previous studies confirm that the economic growth during the more successful phase of transition was not strong enough to help to clear the labour market in selected countries. But these results are predominately concentrated on the country, and not on the regional level. Therefore, we analyse regional development in order to identify whether there are common patterns in Croatian regions with regions in other transition countries. We also compare our set of indicators with those in the European Union regions, particularly those geographically closer to Croatia. The main obstacle to regional analysis in Croatia is the lack of adequate statistical data. Therefore, first part of our paper consists of generating the relevant indicators. Since the paper is oriented to analysis, we do not focus on methodological problems. We are, however, aware of the limitations imposed on the interpretations of our results due to the fact. Key words: RGDP, unemployment, comparative regional analysis. JEL Classification: R19, J69, R11

Impact of crisis on regional development in Croatia

The economic crisis has affected the EU regions very differently over the last five years, depending on the region's strengths or weaknesses, its sectoral structure and the response of national and regional governments. In some countries, downturns can lead to narrower interregional disparities, while in some can trigger regional divergence. Previous empirical studies indicate that there is a tendency for regional disparities to grow during recessions, and diminish in the period of economic growth (Dunford and Parron, 1994; Evans and MacCormic, 1994, Audas and Mackay, 1997). Although the reduction of regional disparities represents one of the priorities of EU regional policy and of Croatian regional policy, regional disparities within the Croatia are still significant. The current economic crisis that has emerged in the Croatian economy has already an enormous negative effect on several national and regional development indicators like GDP per capita, unemployment, and productivity. Some areas are coping with structural changes such as de-industrialization. In line with that the main aim of the paper is to find out if regional imbalances within Croatia have been more exposed by the current crises? This paper analyses the disparities between economic developments of Croatian counties before the crisis (before 2009) in comparison with the recession period. The analysis focuses on regional development index and other available socio-economic indicators (GDP per capita, unemployment rate). Obtained results can serve as a ground for improvements in Croatian regional economic policy

Governance Structures for Local Economic Development in Croatia

Who should take care of local economic development in Croatia? This question seems trivial, however, there are still some open questions. According to current legislation, local economic development is an administrative task of the 21 counties, the current units of regional self-government. On the other hand, the cities and municipalities as units of local self-government regularly get involved in economic development activities, though this is not directly defined in the legislation. There is a contradiction concerning development capacity of cities and counties. Cities attract population and economic activity and are usually stronger than counties in terms of financial and human resources that are necessary for economic development activities. This research will question if the existing administrative-territorial setup and functions of counties in Croatia correspond to the needs of economic growth and development on local level. It is also intended to get some insights from contemporary concepts that derive from trade theory, location theory and economic geography. Governance relations between bigger cities and counties in fostering local economic development in Croatia will be examined. For this purpose, local and regional data will be analyzed and through the discussion on existing governance structures, qualitative insights on the appropriateness of the current situation will be presented. The main goal of this research paper is to find quantitative and qualitative justification for an appropriate governance structure for fostering local economic development in Croatia

A rapid and reliable determination of doxycycline hyclate by HPLC with UV detection in pharmaceutical samples

An accurate, sensitive and reproducible high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the quantification of doxycycline hyclate in pharmaceutical samples has been developed and validated. The drug and the standard were eluted from a Lichrosorb RP-8 (250 mm´4.6 mm, 10 mm particle size) at 20 °C with a mobile phase consisting of methanol, acetonitrile and 0.010 M aqueous solution of oxalic acid (2:3:5, v/v/v). The flow rate was 1.25 ml min-1. A UV detector set at 350 nm was used to monitor the effluent. Each analysis required no longer than 4 min. The limits of detection and quantification were 1.15 and 3.84 μg ml-1, respectively. Recoveries for different concentrations ranged from 99.58 to 101.93 %

OVERVIEW OF THEOBSTACLES AND FACILITATORS OF LEARNING AND ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE IN STRATEGIC ALLIANCES – AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

In this paper we address the issue of knowledge transfer between organizations in partnerships as well as the role of the knowledge exchange in building successful cooperation. Given its many positive effects on the business performance, such as creativity, innovativeness and flexibility needed in modern business environment, it was of the utmost importance to investigate different factors that either contribute or constrain learning in alliances. After the theoretical background on the aforementioned topic was given, an empirical research and its main conclusions were described in the paper. A study of the alliances in Croatian context revealed that organizational characteristics exhibit the most pronounced influence on the knowledge transfer success which was especially highlighted in domestic alliances. The level of integration, the primary area of cooperation and the previous experience in forming alliances between partners did not change the extent to which different factors influenced knowledge transfer