Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.32728/er-ei.38.3.6
STRUCTURAL CONSTRAINTS AMID REGIONAL ASPIRATIONS: ASSESSING CATALONIA'S COMPETITIVENESS PATHWAY WITHIN THE EUROPEAN UNION
Lucian Belascu
orcid.org/0000-0002-7711-3746
; Department of Management, Marketing and Business Administration, “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, Sibiu, Romania
*
Birjees Rahat
; CERIIM, Excelia Business School, La Rochelle, France
Aura Girlovan
orcid.org/0009-0008-6594-9555
; Department of International Business and Economics, Faculty of International Business and Economics, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania
Eugen Constantin Rosca
; Department of Management, Marketing and Business Administration, “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, Sibiu, Romania
* Dopisni autor.
Sažetak
This study investigates the evolution of Catalonia’s regional competitiveness within Spain and the European Union by applying the EU’s Regional Competitiveness Index (RCI) 2.0 framework. Through a combination of longitudinal benchmarking, peer
region analysis, and k-means clustering, we assess how Catalonia’s competitiveness has shifted from 2016 to 2022 across eleven sub-indices grouped under the Basic, Efficiency, and Innovation pillars. The findings reveal that Catalonia, despite its strengths in infrastructure, technological readiness, and innovation capacity, remains structurally constrained by weak institutional quality, labour market inefficiencies, and underperformance in education. While it advanced to a stronger competitiveness cluster by 2022, its relative position declined compared to core Western European regions, and it was surpassed by the País Vasco region in the national competitiveness ranking. Peer group dynamics confirm a shift from the association with innovationled Western European regions to a more heterogeneous set, including emerging Eastern regions, highlighting Catalonia’s relative stagnation. These insights challenge assumptions of uniform competitiveness often cited in regional autonomy debates and emphasize the need for systemic reforms in governance and human capital development. The paper also demonstrates the analytical value of RCI 2.0 in uncovering the structural foundations of regional performance and offers policyrelevant implications for territorial cohesion and sustainable development.
Ključne riječi
regional competitiveness; European regions; RCI 2.0; Catalonia; peer benchmarking; clustering analysis
Hrčak ID:
342370
URI
Datum izdavanja:
24.12.2025.
Posjeta: 219 *