Formulation and application of a multi-variable location quotient index in the Mpumalanga Province, South Africa

Leading regions drive economic growth and development, and it is important to determine which sectors are driving growth. Leading sectors need to be supported while lagging sectors need to be guided towards growth. The location quotient method has been used as a regional economic development measurement tool using a single variable, mostly employment data. This paper aims to formulate and apply a multi-variable location quotient index (MVLQI), which includes four variables, allowing for a more comprehensive and consistent model. A new formula was developed as part of the methodology, and a classification matrix and index coefficient values were categorised. The new model was tested and applied in the Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, between 2012 and 2017. A normal index was calculated for both years and a dynamic index based on the four variables included in the model. The study’s contribution is that the outcomes from the MVLQI provide analysts with more comprehensive and consistent results for economic strategy development. The new MVLQI could be used with success in regional economic analysis in identifying sectors with high levels of concentration, comparative advantage and calculation of multipliers.

Regional economic analysis of the agroindustrial complex of the Republic of Mordovia

The analysis of the agricultural sector of the Republic of Mordovia, the analysis of the activities of agricultural organizations of the republic for the period from 2005 to 2020, the dynamics of agricultural production for the period under study in monetary terms, the analysis of the structure of acreage, gross harvest, crop yields and changes in the number of livestock in the livestock industry of the republic for the period 2010 to 2020, the place of the region in the rating of the Volga Federal District for the export of agricultural products by the results of 2020 is determined. Further prerequisites for regional development are identified.

LEADING INNOVATIVE PRACTICES IN THE THEMATIC AREA “HEALTHY LIVING INDUSTRY AND BIOTECHNOLOGIES” AT A REGIONAL LEVEL

The regional context of smart specialization continues to be in the focus of academic discussions as the innovative potential of regions in Bulgaria is being determined. The aim of the present work is to identify innovative practices in one of the leading thematic areas – “Healthy living industry and biotechnologies” during the period of 2014-2019 in a selected region. The object of research is the region of Yambol listed in the National Strategy for Smart Specialization in the Republic of Bulgaria as a promising region in the thematic area “Healthy living industry and biotechnologies”. We have applied methods of regional economic analysis based on objective statistical data. Regional analysis has been complemented with a survey to reflect the subjective viewpoint of stakeholder representatives. The survey and the analysis of the collected information prove the presence of potential in the region of Yambol for expanding organic production in the food industry and generating “green energy” in the energetics sector.

REAT: A Regional Economic Analysis Toolbox for R

Methods of regional economic analysis are widely used in regional and urban economics as well as in economic geography. This paper introduces the REAT (Regional Economic Analysis Toolbox) package for the programming environment R, which provides a collection of mathematical regional analysis methods in a user-friendly way. The focus is on the identification of regional inequality, beta and sigma convergence, measurement of agglomerations, point-based measures of clustering and accessibility as well as regional growth. The theoretical basics of the applications are briefly introduced, while the usage of the most important functions is presented and explained using real data.