Regionalization of Slovenia By Establishing Functional Regions

Leonida   Šnajder; Vito Bobek

Leonida Šnajder
Vito Bobek

Keywords: regional development, functional region, establishment and effects of functional regions in Slovenia

Abstract

Slovenia is a country with a plurality of municipalities that are (in most cases) too small in terms of development and in need of more inducements for tourism, greater investment opportunities, and the establishment of shopping and logistics channels. Of Slovenia’s 212 municipalities, 111 do not meet the statutory minimum level for the establishment of a municipality, which is reflected in the uneven development in vari- ous parts of the country. A similar problem has been faced by other countries (e.g., Austria), but they have resolved this problem to a satisfactory level, particularly by applying the concept of functional networking. The design and development of uni- form regions, their connectedness, and their openness to cross-border cooperation are all crucial for the effective development of Slovenia as a whole, which will sti- mulate regional development based on functional integration. The purpose of this article is to examine whether it is possible to establish a functional region in Slove- nia; we will explore the legal foundations, methods, and effects of such an establi- shment.

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Author Biographies

Leonida Šnajder

PhD student at Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Maribor, Slovenia
E-mail: leonida.snajder@gmail.com

Leonida Šnajder graduated from the international trade program at the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Maribor. She is employed in the economy sector, where she is acquiring experience for a better understanding of the economy and the business system in the international environment. She is a student in a doctoral study program of Economic and Business Sciences at the Faculty of Economics and Business. Her work focuses on regional development.

Vito Bobek

Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Maribor, Slovenia
E-mail: vito.bobek@uni-mb.si

Vito Bobek, Ph.D., currently works as a professor of international management at the University of Applied Sciences FH Joanneum (Graz, Austria) and the University of Maribor (Slovenia). He is also a manager and owner of Palemid—Consul- ting, Research, Education LLC. He serves as a member of the supervisory board at KBM Infond (Investment company, Maribor, Slovenia), regional editor for Central and Eastern Europe at European Journal of International Management, member of the editorial board at International Journal of Trade and Global Markets, member of the editorial board at Imago Europae (Florence, Italy), and member of Team Europe Slovenia. His research interests are related to international business, strategic management, regional economic integration, cross-cultural management, and management of cities and regions.

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