The impact of the economic crisis on regional disparities in Croatia

Abstract

The economic crisis has affected EU regions differently. In some countries, downturns can lead to narrower interregional disparities, while in others, they can trigger regional divergence. The crisis in Croatia has had a negative effect on national and regional development indicators, leading to significant regional disparities. The aim of this article is to discuss whether regional imbalances in Croatia have been more exposed by the current crisis, to analyse the disparities between economic developments in Croatian counties over the period of recession (2008–2012), to discover the main determinants of regional resilience to recessionary impacts and to make recommendations for improvements in Croatian regional economic policy.

economic crisis, regional disparities, resilience