ASSESSMENT OF THE UNEVEN SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF LITHUANIA IN 2004-2019

Abstract

The unevenness of socio-economic development is an objective property of space. For the post-socialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe, this issue is of particular relevance, including in the context of the imposition of EU institutions on spatial structures formed during the period of central planning. The paper analyzes a number of socio-economic indicators for 60 Lithuanian municipalities from 2004 to 2019. In order to identify key trends in the unevenness of spatial development, the standard deviation of the selected indicators from the national average was calculated, with the results further categorized into five groups: exceeding by more than 60% and by 20-60%, lower by more than 60% and by 20-60%, and the closest to the average from -20 to 20%. The periphery was considered to include those territories where the indicator values were below the national average by more than 60%, by 20-60%, and also those closest to the average from -20 to 20%. The semi-periphery comprised municipalities with indicators above the national average by 20-60%, while the core – by more than 60%. The dynamics of the studied processes are volatile in nature, which is associated with the new institutional design of the functioning of the state after joining the EU and with the external environment. The territorial structure of socio-economic processes in Lithuania is extremely polarized. The country's largest agglomerations (Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda) and the seaside resort area (Palanga, Neringa) stand out as centers of population and investment attraction. Almost all the rest of the country is a periphery, but rather motley. The degree of peripherization of municipalities depends on the geographical location relative to the main centers, the degree of preservation of and market demand for the Soviet industrial heritage, and the natural and recreational potential. Only 18% of Lithuanian municipalities are characterized by a certain stability or improvement in performance, while 80% of them are subject to varying degrees of peripheralization, especially municipalities along the entire border perimeter.