Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.62366/crebss.2026.1.001
Local spatial analysis of the development index of local administrative units in Croatia
Marin Maras
orcid.org/0009-0004-8574-5753
; Veleučilište u Karlovcu, Republika Hrvatska
*
Roko Kazija
; Veleučilište u Karlovcu, Republika Hrvatska
* Dopisni autor.
Sažetak
Regional inequalities in Croatia are the result of a complex interplay between spatial distance and historical, social, and economic factors. The aim of this paper is to conduct a spatial statistical analysis of the development index for all 556 local administrative units in Croatia, considering not only their individual values but also their geographical location and the characteristics of their neighbouring environment. To this end, exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) was applied, with particular emphasis on global Moran's I and local indicators of spatial association (LISA). The results confirm the existence of moderate to strong positive global spatial autocorrelation in the development index, indicating a significant clustering of spatial units with similar levels of development. Local spatial analysis identified five clusters, which are classified into four groups: developed units (HH clusters), underdeveloped units (LL clusters), spatial outliers (HL and LH clusters), and a transitional group of statistically non-significant units. This spatial configuration reveals a pronounced west-east developmental polarization between Adriatic and Continental Croatia. The estimated effective sample size, which is considerably smaller than the nominal number of local units, further highlights the importance of accounting for spatial dependence in empirical analyses. This paper contributes to the understanding of the spatial dimension of regional inequalities and provides evidence relevant for the design of development policies at a functionally and spatially broader territorial scale.
Ključne riječi
ESDA; development index; municipalities and cities; regional inequalities
Hrčak ID:
348890
URI
Datum izdavanja:
6.7.2026.
Posjeta: 0 *