Local Economic Development in Comparative Perspective: Székesfehérvár–Veszprém–Tatabánya

Abstract

The aim of our study is to present the networking capabilities of the three county seats of the Central Transdanubian Region, Székesfehérvár, Veszprém and Tatabánya, in terms of local business development, using the results of a comparative research.
The research investigated the question whether there are any typical networking patterns in the three cities related to the local economic development activities. The literature puts emphasis on local economic development in recent years, and the success of the local economy is also decisive for the success of national economies. However, in addition to the  appropriate economic conditions, local economic development is also determined by local partnership networks. The cluster literature pays attention to the importance of cooperation between actors in the local economy.
In Hungary, local economic development is the task of local governments. In our research, we examined who is involved in the local development process and implementation of local economic development concepts in addition to the municipality in the selected cities, who are the ones left out and why.
According to the research findings, different economic development partnership networks operate in each city; however, it is true in all three cities  that small and medium-sized enterprises feel the least addressed in relation to local economic development.