Paper/Speech Details of Conference Program for the 26th NISPAcee Annual Conference Program Overview Main Conference Theme Author(s) Bogdan Andrei Moldovan Babes-Bolyai University Cluj Napoca Romania Title Cluj-Napoca´s Metropolitan Area´s Economy; Competitiveness and Challenges File Paper files are available only for conference participants, please login first. Presenter Bogdan Andrei Moldovan Abstract Cluj-Napoca’s emerging economy (with a growth rate that exceeds all Romanian municipalities, except Bucharest, the capital city) has gone through structural changes over the last 15 years. More than 10.000 jobs in industry were replaced by booming IT and other services. With an economic growth rate that exceeds all Romanian municipalities, except Bucharest (the capital city). Cluj-Napoca’s evolution was accompanied by an increase in population size. The development of the local economy had a visible effect on surrounding localities, that are part of the Cluj Metropolitan area, one of them becoming the largest commune in Romania (Floresti). This study aims at making a comparative assessment of the evolution of local economies of the Cluj metropolitan area’s component economies, and also identifying the comparative and competitive advantages of each locality. By this, a development model for the entire Metropolitan area could be designed and promoted in the future, which will allow a balanced economic growth in the region. The study will use extensive economic and financial, firm-level and public organization data, which will try to identify specific development patterns and evolutions. In the assessment of the local economies, a series of specific tools and methods will be used in order to identify the advantages, and differentiate between economies’ performance in certain sectors.
