INTEGRATED TERRITORIAL INVESTMENTS AND THE ILLUSION OF BALANCED REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN BULGARIA
Keywords:
regional policy; integrated territorial investments; balanced regional development; territorial cohesionAbstract
This review article analyses the strategic vision and the territorial allocation of Integrated Territorial Investments (ITIs) as the current key instrument of regional policy in Bulgaria, in the context of the objectives of balanced development and territorial cohesion at the NUTS 2 level. Based on spatial and institutional analysis, the study argues that the current ITI model in Bulgaria fails to overcome regional disparities and, in a number of cases, reproduces and deepens them.
The methodological approach combines descriptive economic statistics, comparative regional analysis, ranking methods, and correlation analysis between the territorial distribution of ITI concepts and key macroeconomic and regional indicators. The analysis reveals structural weaknesses in the design of the integrated territorial approach, including the absence of a genuinely place-based logic, weak coordination between sectoral policies, and mismatches between regions’ economic needs and the intensity of project-based funding.
The paper concludes that without substantial institutional and conceptual reforms, ITIs cannot fulfil their role as an effective instrument for achieving territorial cohesion in Bulgaria.
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