Information about the project

Inter-communal Cooperation as a Policy Instrument for Elimination of Shortages Associated with Highly Fragmented Municipal Structure in the Conditions of Banská Bystrica, Košice and Prešov Regions

ICOCOO 2012-2014

Slovak municipal (settlement) structure can be described as highly fragmented and according OECD methodology approximately 90 per cent of all Slovak municipalities are settlements of rural character.

Such state is, inter alia, a consequence of settlement development during the 20th century which was organized in compliance with so called urban axis. It resulted in the formation of peripheries, especially in the South of central Slovakia and in the Eastern Slovakia (Kling, 2002, 110-115). The Eastern Slovak periphery consists of these districts: Bardejov, Svidník, Stropkov, Medzilaborce, Humenné, Snina, and Sobrance (Sloboda, 2004, 4). Mentioned periphery in the South of central Slovakia consists of these districts: Veľký Krtíš, Lučenec, Rimavská Sobota, Revúca, and Rožňava (Sloboda, 2004, 3). Generally one could see that it is a territory belonging to three regions – Banská Bystrica, Košice, and Prešov region – which are not only the most fragmented but also the least developed (Klimovský, Šebová, 2009).A theme of territorial fragmentation and inter-communal cooperation has been elaborated in three groups of publications. In the first one, there are publications which deal with it only indirectly (e.g. Malíková, 1995). The second one consists of publications that have been aimed at the theme but due to limited extent they could not provide a complex and deep analysis (e.g. Buček, 1997; 2004; 2006; Klimovský, 2009; 2010; Kling et al, 2002; Lovacká, Ištok, 2005; Labunová, Lovacká, 2008; Sloboda, 2004). The third group involves publications centered on concrete cases of inter-communal cooperation (e.g. Oremusová, 2003; 2009). Regardless of character and extent of these publications, very important point is that the most of them lacks interdisciplinary approach, and a part of them has been prepared rather within an ad hoc intent than within some systematic research intent. Even if there was some systematic research, its data are not fresh now.

The project systematically deals with inter-communal cooperation which might be considered an instrument for elimination of shortages linked to high level of territorial fragmentation in three selected Slovak regions.

Project is aimed at different forms of inter-communal cooperation which are established in the Banská Bystrica, Košice and Prešov Regions. Basically, the project involves four research goals: 1) identification and mapping of forms of inter-communal cooperation; 2) description and classification of identified forms in terms of selected quantitative and qualitative indicators; 3) finding how these political instruments eliminate shortages associated with high territorial and administrative fragmentation; 4) elaboration of prognosis of further development of inter-communal cooperation activities in the selected regions.