Eva Koišová

The study analyses the determinants of national competitiveness in Central and Eastern Europe, with a primary focus on the role of human capital. The primary objective of this study is to identify disparities in the levels of competitiveness and human capital between the V4 countries and other countries in the Central and Eastern European region. The subsequent objective is to identify the impact of year-on-year changes in human capital on competitiveness across the entire region under study in the context of other key macroeconomic and institutional determinants. In the comparative section of the study, a panel regression model with random effects and robust standard errors according to Arellano was utilized. Conversely, a model with fixed effects and robust standard errors (PCSE), employing first differences of variables with a two-year lag, was employed to identify the determinants of competitiveness. The findings of the comparative analysis demonstrated the presence of statistically significant disparities between the V4 countries and other countries in the Central and Eastern European region, exclusively in the domain of human capital. The level of competitiveness is similar across the entire region. The findings of the panel regression analysis demonstrated that year-on-year changes in the quality of human capital do not exert a statistically significant impact on the WCI with a two-year lag. This finding contradicts the theoretical assumptions that underpin the WCI. The predominant factors influencing competitiveness were identified as the control variables of government effectiveness, the inflation rate, and the level of gross debt. The originality of the study lies primarily in the use of a comprehensive WCI instead of partial competitiveness indicators and in the integration of multiple institutional and macroeconomic aspects into the model, thereby filling an existing gap in literature.

The economic development of countries is closely connected to human resources development. Education plays a pivotal role in the life of an individual and society as it provides chances for personal development and economic development of society. The Slovak Republic has been unable to cope with profound regional disparities in various areas for a long time. The existence of disparities is demonstrated by the evolution of educational attainment, which is integral to economic and regional development. The purpose of the paper was to determine the evolution of educational attainment of the economically active population in the regions of the Slovak Republic from 2000 to 2020. The educational attainment index was used to assess educational attainment. The research findings show that the educational attainment of the economically active population and employed population is increasing and is the highest in Bratislava. The educational level of the unemployed rises and falls irregularly depending on how the labour market evolves.

The educational structure of the population has long been considered an important indicator... attainment in the workforce are growing...

Labour market developments have been on a positive trend in recent years. Employment and unemployment were not projected to change significantly. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic halted this trend. The labour market, the economies of countries and their governments have been exposed to new challenges. In our paper, we focus on the evolution of employment and unemployment in the first to third waves of the pandemic in the Slovak Republic. We focus on a time series analysis of labour market developments by education, last occupation and sectors of industry. The above analysis may serve to further investigate this issue in the future and to track developments over a larger time period.

Human resources are the key factor in the development of countries and regions. They affect the prosperity and competitiveness of the countries and regions. The purpose of the study was to assess the human resource potential in the V4 countries and to identify the groups of regions that share similar socio-demographic characteristics. Changes in these characteristics were tracked in the years of 2000, 2008, 2016 at the NUTS II level. Hierarchical cluster analysis was utilised as the main research method in order to identify the groups of regions where measures need to be taken to maintain regional development. We found out that the best conditions for the potential of human resources are concentrated mainly in metropolitan areas. On the other hand, there are regions that do not make sufficient use of their potential in the area of human resources development, e.g. the region of Východné Slovensko. It is the region with future prospects of human resource potential In the future it is necessary to remove shortcomings and low human resources potential in lowperforming regions.

Jana Masárová - Alexander Dubček University of Trenčín, Faculty of Social and Economic Relations, Študentská 3, 911 50 Trenčín, Slovak Republic

The rapid development of information and communication technologies and the development of digital economy and society brings new challenges and opportunities for individuals, companies and the whole society. The huge growth of the Internet, which has contributed to these changes, and causes changes in the living of individuals and households. In addition to new ways of communicating, the Internet brings individuals new opportunities for collaboration, business, but also information retrieval and, last but not least, shopping, contributing to the growth of living standards. In this paper, the authors focus on one aspect of the digital economy – household access to the Internet and its usage for purchasing products and services in the Slovak Republic. The aim of the article is to find out the level and reasons for using the Internet by households of the Slovak Republic. In this paper, the authors use methods: time series analysis, comparison, synthesis. The authors use data from the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. The authors have found that the level of Internet usage in the Slovak households is increasing, but it varies depending on gender, age group and type of household. Slovak households buy mainly clothes, sports goods, and households’ goods for the private usage.

V súčasnosti zohráva významnú úlohu regionálny rozvoj konkurencieschopnosť regiónov. Konkurencieschopnosť je kľúčom k schopnosti regiónov zabezpečiť vysokú úroveň príjmov pre svojich obyvateľov. S cieľom zvýšiť konkurencieschopnosť regiónov je potrebné podporiť faktory, ktoré zvyšujú konkurencieschopnosť. Hlavným cieľom práce je prispieť k informovanosti o disparitách regionálnej konkurencieschopnosti v regiónoch krajín V4. Okrem toho boli formulované dva sekundárne ciele. Prvým cieľom je určiť najkonkurencieschopnejšie regióny v Vyšehradskej skupine. Druhým cieľom je zistiť, či existuje korelácia medzi dvomi zvolenými prístupmi. V dokumente sa používajú modely analýz obloženia údajov (DEA) na vyhodnotenie konkurencieschopnosti regiónov. Modely DEA hodnotia efektívnosť, s ktorou môžu štáty a regióny transformovať vstupy na výstupy. Modely DEA preto posudzujú, aké veľké výstupy môžu štáty alebo regióny dosiahnuť pri vynaložení jednotného množstva vstupov (zdrojov). Na určenie regresných vzťahov sa používa metóda Tobit regression. Regionálne rozdiely sa analyzujú na úrovni NUTS 2. Zdá sa, že Bratislavský kraj je najviac konkurencieschopný región vo vyšehradských krajinách, ako to vyplýva z analýzy modelov DEA. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.30.2.21746

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