Hodnocení dopadu regionálních rozvojových agentur na socioekonomické prostředí vybraných regionů Evropské unie a České republiky

Abstract

The European Union is currently facing various structural, economic, and environmental challenges that affect individual regions with varying intensity. In response, regional development agencies play a key role as crucial instruments of the EU cohesion policy and territorial development. Their responsibilities include supporting structural transformations, improving the quality of life for residents, and enhancing regional competitiveness through strategic planning, utilization of public funding, promotion of entrepreneurship and innovation, and strengthening institutional capacities. The diploma thesis aims to evaluate the impacts of the activities of regional development agencies on the socio-economic environment in selected regions of the European Union and the Czech Republic and to analyze their contribution to addressing structural changes. The thesis combines quantitative and qualitative methods based on expert interviews conducted with representatives of six regional development agencies. The selected agencies include Business Metropole Ruhr (BMR) in Germany, Agence de développement économique Nancy Sud Lorraine (Lorr’Up) in France, the Regional Development Support Agency Košice (ARR) in Slovakia, and three Czech agencies, namely Moravian-Silesian Investment and Development (MSID), the Regional Development Agency of the Ústí nad Labem Region (RRA ÚK), and the Karlovy Vary Business Development Agency (KARP). The analysis reveals that foreign agencies are characterized by a higher degree of technological advancement, international engagement, and strategic coordination. In contrast, Czech agencies excel in community-based work, emphasize participatory approaches, and focus on the practical regeneration of territorial space. This thesis thus provides a deeper understanding of the activities and institutional roles of the evaluated regional development agencies within diverse European contexts.