The main objective of the paper is to examine the evolution of spatial patterns of settlement network in Slovakia as a result of population rearrangement among municipalities based on time series data of 1993 - 2017. The objects of the research are municipalities, which during the searched period recorded unusual fast population growth or decline, far exceeding the chosen parameter of the population sample. The primary population sample consists of 2919 municipalities. The experimental samples consist of 563 of fast-growing municipalities and 413 of fast-declining municipalities, based on the chosen statistical criteria, what is the compound annual growth rate. The results have shown that fast-growing municipalities are predominantly situated on the West, surrounding the Bratislava agglomeration, on the North and the East surrounding the Kosice metropolis. Generally, they tend to cluster around the cities on the district and regional levels. Fast-declining municipalities predominantly situated in the Middle, along the Hungarian, Polish, and Ukrainian border on the South and the East of the country, respectively.

The?EU Cohesion Policy is one of?the?European Union’s key policy instruments for reducing economic and social disparities among its regions. The?paper evaluates the?policy contribution to?regional economic growth in?V4 (Visegrad Four) co...

Competences in the construction sector of the Slovak Republic (SR) under the current legislation are exercised at the local level of the state both by institutions of local self-government (municipalities) and state administration (district offices). The building authorities with the authority to decide on building permits are currently the municipalities to which the state has delegated building competences by Act No. 50/1976 Coll. on spatial planning and building regulations, as amended. However, the new construction legislation, effective from 1.4.2024, leads to a retroactive transfer of construction competences from municipalities to the state, to the newly created regional construction authorities. The long-awaited change in the legislation in the field of building regulations is expected to shorten the permitting processes and improve the functioning of building authorities. Municipalities will carry out the spatial planning, but the issuance of decisions on construction will be the responsibility of the state. The research presented in the paper, conducted through guided interviews with municipalities and district authorities in two selected regions of the SR, demonstrated the lack of state preparedness for the operation of the new state policy in the construction sector. We have come to a similar conclusion by theoretical analysis of the opinions of domestic and foreign authors. Optimal functioning of cooperation between state and local authorities would be possible with future legislative adjustments to the redistribution of construction proceedings between state and local self-government.

Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues is a peer-reviewed journal which publishes original research papers and case studies

The paper investigates fiscal aspects of waste management policy and waste management at the communal level in the Slovak Republic. For this purpose, cross-sectional data on the municipal level averaged over five years (2017 - 2022) were used. The results reveal a significant fiscal gap between municipal waste management revenues and expenses, which are indirectly transferred to the consumers (households), and will worsen their financial situation and the related public welfare. The econometric modelling comprising quantitative and qualitative variables (ANCOVA) model was used to determine the factors significantly impacting waste management expenses. The results suggest that introducing the policy of waste prevention through a higher share of separated waste is associated with a significant increase in waste management expenses. This study contributes to the understanding of the impacts of financial incentives on waste management at the municipal level, revealing an unintended externality that points to a consequence leading to an increase in the financial burden on consumers in the form of additional costs. It is a counter-productive aspect of the policy, which should not cause a decline in public welfare and discourage consumers from waste separation. The results also suggest that current policies to promote separate collection may also inadvertently increase costs for municipalities, affecting their fiscal planning and efficiency, particularly at the environmental level. Further research is recommended in this area to gather more evidence and provide recommendations on the future implementation of waste management policy at the municipal level. For a more successful closure of the investigated issues in waste management, it is necessary to examine and minimize the revealed externalities, thereby ensuring a long-term sustainable waste management policy.