Similarities and Differences in Competitiveness Among European NUTS2 Regions: An Empirical Analysis Based on 2010–2013 Data

Regional competitiveness is a concept whose definition and applicability is highly debated among scholars. Nevertheless, over recent years it has become widespread among policy makers and practitioners, especially in the European Union. In line with this diffusion a number of alternative composite indicators of regional competitiveness have been released. Instead of building a composite index, this paper carries out empirical analyses whose aim is to analyze the European NUTS2 regions’ performance for those indicators that, according to the literature, contribute to the definition of competitiveness. Results highlight the existence of a competitiveness divide between Northern European countries, which report better performances for most of the competitiveness indicators, and Southern/ Eastern ones. The group of more competitive regions expands over time by including regions from Centre European countries while within peripheral regions a stable gap between regions where metropolitan areas are located and the others exists.