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Economies
Special Issues
Regional Economic Development: Policies, Strategies and Prospects
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Regional Economic Development: Policies, Strategies and Prospects

A special issue of Economies (ISSN 2227-7099).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 July 2026 | Viewed by 10396

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Adolfo Maza

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Economía, Universidad de Cantabria, Avda. de los Castros, S.N., 39005 Santander, Spain
Interests: labour market; migration; growth; investment; regional economics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. María Hierro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Economics, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain
Interests: regional economics; international migration; depopulation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Regional economic development has long been a cornerstone of territorial cohesion and sustainable growth. As global challenges, such as climate change, digital transformation, and shifting demographic patterns, continue to reshape territorial realities, regions are being forced to adapt their development strategies. In this context, flexible, place-based strategies grounded in regional strengths and participatory governance offer a promising path toward inclusive and resilient regional growth.

Drawing on comparative case studies across diverse regions, this Special Issue, entitled “Regional Economic Development: Policies, Strategies and Prospects”, invites researchers and scholars to explore the evolving landscape of regional economic policy. The aim of this Special Issue is to identify success factors and constraints that may influence policy outcomes, with a particular focus on regional disparities. Ultimately, this Special Issue seeks to contribute to ongoing debates regarding the future direction of regional economic strategies, aligning economic efficiency with territorial equity.

We welcome the submission of both theoretical analyses and empirical studies that provide original research findings on the topic.

Prof. Dr. Adolfo Maza
Dr. María Hierro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Economies is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • regional economic development
  • territorial cohesion
  • regional policy
  • regional economic resilience
  • sustainable growth
  • inclusive development
  • participatory governance
  • regional planning

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 474 KB  
Article
Exploring the Gap in the Dynamic Financial Resilience of Urban and Rural SMEs
by Gintarė Leckė and Renata Legenzova
Economies 2026, 14(5), 160; https://doi.org/10.3390/economies14050160 - 5 May 2026
Viewed by 387
Abstract
This study examines the differences in dynamic financial resilience between urban and rural small and medium entities (SMEs) and investigates how these differences are affected by SME resourcefulness. SMEs in urban areas generally benefit from higher productivity, stronger innovation capacity, and better access [...] Read more.
This study examines the differences in dynamic financial resilience between urban and rural small and medium entities (SMEs) and investigates how these differences are affected by SME resourcefulness. SMEs in urban areas generally benefit from higher productivity, stronger innovation capacity, and better access to financial resources, resulting in superior performance during both stable periods and crises. However, empirical evidence on SMEs’ financial resilience, particularly across spatial contexts, remains limited. Addressing this gap, the study adopts a capabilities-based perspective, assessing SMEs’ financial resilience across proactive, responsive–adaptive, and reactive phases. SME resourcefulness, as a key determinant of financial resilience, is captured through behavioural, financial, entrepreneurial, and social dimensions. The empirical analysis is based on a dataset of 251 Lithuanian SMEs. It employs multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) and multi-group structural equation modelling (MGSEM) to compare urban and rural SMEs. The results show that, compared to rural SMEs, urban SMEs demonstrate higher overall financial resilience (latent mean difference = −0.222), with significant differences particularly evident in the responsive–adaptive (−0.287) and reactive phases (−0.173). Access to finance (t = −2.594, p = 0.010) and entrepreneurial knowledge (t = −4.565, p = 0.000) emerge as the main determinants explaining the financial resilience gap between urban and rural SMEs, while mentoring remains the least utilised social resource (mean = 2.90 out of 5). To bridge the gap and enhance rural SMEs’ financial resilience, it is essential to implement policies that expand access to finance, strengthen adaptive financial capacities, and promote mentoring and financial education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Economic Development: Policies, Strategies and Prospects)
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33 pages, 766 KB  
Article
Long-Run Heterogeneous Effects of Entrepreneurship, Institutional Quality, and Macroeconomic Stability on GDP per Capita: Evidence from EU-26 Countries
by Sadokat Khalikchaeva, Yuldoshboy Sobirov, Daniyor Kurbanov, Nuriddin Shanyazov, Nilufar Nabiyeva, Samariddin Makhmudov and Jurabek Kuralbaev
Economies 2026, 14(5), 150; https://doi.org/10.3390/economies14050150 - 25 Apr 2026
Viewed by 562
Abstract
This study investigates the determinants of GDP per capita across 26 European Union member states over the period of 2006–2024, with a particular focus on entrepreneurship, institutional quality, and macroeconomic factors. Given the presence of long-run income differences across EU countries, the analysis [...] Read more.
This study investigates the determinants of GDP per capita across 26 European Union member states over the period of 2006–2024, with a particular focus on entrepreneurship, institutional quality, and macroeconomic factors. Given the presence of long-run income differences across EU countries, the analysis explicitly accounts for structural heterogeneity in economic development and institutional capacity. To ensure robust estimation in the presence of cross-sectional dependence and slope heterogeneity, the study employs advanced panel econometric techniques, including tests for cross-sectional dependence, unit roots, and cointegration. Long-run relationships and short-run dynamics are estimated using the Cross-Sectionally Augmented Autoregressive Distributed Lag (CS-ARDL) model, complemented by robustness checks based on the Augmented Mean Group (AMG) and Common Correlated Effects Mean Group (CCEMG) estimators. In addition, the Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) is applied to capture heterogeneity across different points of the income distribution, thereby reflecting long-run income disparities among EU member states. The empirical results confirm the existence of a stable long-run equilibrium relationship among the variables. The baseline CS-ARDL estimates indicate that institutional quality, entrepreneurial activity, trade openness, and government expenditure exert positive and statistically significant effects on GDP per capita, while financial development exhibits a negative effect and foreign direct investment remains insignificant. In the short run, entrepreneurship and trade openness contribute positively to GDP per capita, whereas government expenditure and credit expansion generate contractionary effects. The robustness analysis using AMG and CCEMG estimators largely supports these findings, as the direction of the coefficients remains consistent across alternative specifications, although some variation in statistical significance is observed due to differences in the treatment of cross-sectional dependence and unobserved common factors. The MMQR results further reveal substantial heterogeneity across the income distribution, indicating that the effects of key determinants vary depending on countries’ long-run income levels. In particular, trade openness and institutional quality exert stronger positive effects in lower-income quantiles, while the adverse effects of excessive financial development are more pronounced in higher-income quantiles. Overall, the findings underscore the importance of promoting productive entrepreneurship, strengthening institutional frameworks, facilitating trade integration, and ensuring efficient financial intermediation to enhance GDP per capita within the European Union. The results also highlight the need for differentiated policy approaches that explicitly account for long-run income heterogeneity, structural differences, and varying institutional capacities across EU member states. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Economic Development: Policies, Strategies and Prospects)
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27 pages, 812 KB  
Article
Public Debt and Economic Growth in Africa: The FDI Effect
by Emmanuel Oluwafemi and Libo Xu
Economies 2025, 13(12), 352; https://doi.org/10.3390/economies13120352 - 2 Dec 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2249
Abstract
This study examines the desirable public debt threshold for African economies and the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on economic growth, using secondary data from 1995 to 2019. The analysis employed panel-data threshold regression, and the results indicate that the debt threshold [...] Read more.
This study examines the desirable public debt threshold for African economies and the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on economic growth, using secondary data from 1995 to 2019. The analysis employed panel-data threshold regression, and the results indicate that the debt threshold desirable for economic growth ranges from 22% to 85% of GDP, depending on the kind of model employed. Also, the results conclusively show that FDI always has a negative effect on economic growth when the economy operates below the bottom-debt threshold, with the negative FDI coefficient remaining significant across most of the analysis. It is thus crucial for policymakers to continue pursuing policies that encourage debt financing for major infrastructure projects that drive increased industrialization. This will also help to increase the local economies’ attractiveness to foreign investment and ensure that the FDI will only further boost economic growth and development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Economic Development: Policies, Strategies and Prospects)
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40 pages, 4433 KB  
Article
Economic Convergence Analyses in Perspective: A Bibliometric Mapping and Its Strategic Implications (1982–2025)
by Geisel García-Vidal, Néstor Alberto Loredo-Carballo, Reyner Pérez-Campdesuñer and Gelmar García-Vidal
Economies 2025, 13(10), 289; https://doi.org/10.3390/economies13100289 - 4 Oct 2025
Viewed by 2661
Abstract
This study presents a bibliometric and thematic analysis of economic convergence analysis from 1982 to 2025, based on a corpus of 2924 Scopus-indexed articles. Using VOSviewer and the bibliometrix R package, this research maps the field’s intellectual structure, identifying five main thematic clusters: [...] Read more.
This study presents a bibliometric and thematic analysis of economic convergence analysis from 1982 to 2025, based on a corpus of 2924 Scopus-indexed articles. Using VOSviewer and the bibliometrix R package, this research maps the field’s intellectual structure, identifying five main thematic clusters: (1) formal statistical models, (2) institutional-contextual approaches, (3) theoretical–statistical foundations, (4) nonlinear historical dynamics, and (5) normative and policy assessments. These reflect a shift from descriptive to explanatory and prescriptive frameworks, with growing integration of sustainability, spatial analysis, and institutional factors. The most productive journals include Journal of Econometrics (121 articles), Applied Economics (117), and Journal of Cleaner Production (81), while seminal contributions by Quah, Im et al., and Levin et al. anchor the co-citation network. International collaboration is significant, with 25.99% of publications involving cross-country co-authorship, particularly in European and North American networks. The field has grown at a compound annual rate of 14.4%, accelerating after 2000 and peaking in 2022–2024, indicating sustained academic interest. These findings highlight the maturation of convergence analysis as a multidisciplinary domain. Practically, this study underscores the value of composite indicators and spatial econometric models for monitoring regional, environmental, and technological convergence—offering policymakers tools for inclusive growth, climate resilience, and innovation strategies. Moreover, the emergence of clusters around sustainability and digital transformation reveals fertile ground for future research at the intersection of transitions in energy, digital, and institutional domains and sustainable development (a broader sense of structural change). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Economic Development: Policies, Strategies and Prospects)
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33 pages, 3000 KB  
Article
The Impact of Regional Policies on Chinese Business Growth: A Bibliometric Approach
by Ling Yao and Lakner Zoltan Karoly
Economies 2025, 13(8), 229; https://doi.org/10.3390/economies13080229 - 7 Aug 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3368
Abstract
In the context of both domestic and international economic landscapes, regional policy has emerged as an increasingly influential factor shaping the developmental trajectories of Chinese enterprises. Despite its growing significance, the extant literature lacks a comprehensive and systematically visualized synthesis that encapsulates the [...] Read more.
In the context of both domestic and international economic landscapes, regional policy has emerged as an increasingly influential factor shaping the developmental trajectories of Chinese enterprises. Despite its growing significance, the extant literature lacks a comprehensive and systematically visualized synthesis that encapsulates the scope and trends of research in this domain. This study addresses this critical gap by conducting an integrative bibliometric and qualitative review of the academic output related to regional policy and Chinese firm growth. Drawing on a final dataset comprising 3428 validated academic publications—selected from an initial pool of 3604 records retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection between 1991 and 2022, the research employs a two-stage methodological framework. In the first phase, advanced bibliometric tools, and software applications, including RStudio, Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, and CitNetExplorer, are utilized to implement techniques such as keyword co-occurrence analysis, thematic clustering, and the tracing of thematic evolution over time. These methods facilitate rigorous data cleansing, breakpoint identification, and the visualization of intellectual structures and emerging research patterns. In the second phase, a targeted qualitative review is conducted to evaluate the influence of regional policies on Chinese firms across three critical stages of business development: start-up, expansion, and maturity. The findings reveal that regional policy interventions generally exert a positive influence on firm performance throughout all stages of development. Notably, a significant concentration of citation activity occurred prior to 2017; however, post-2017, the volume of scholarly publications, journal-level impact (as measured by h-index), and author-level influence experienced a marked increase. Among the 3428 analyzed publications, a substantial portion—2259 articles—originated from Chinese academic institutions, highlighting the strong domestic research interest in the subject. Furthermore, since 2015, there has been a discernible shift in keyword co-occurrence trends, with increasing scholarly attention directed towards sustainable development issues, particularly those related to carbon dioxide emissions and green innovation, reflecting evolving policy priorities and environmental imperatives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Economic Development: Policies, Strategies and Prospects)
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