DEVELOPMENT POSSIBILITIES OF THE HUNGARIAN-UKRAINIAN

Abstract

Thanks to the all pervasive globalisation trends previous state borders have become more permeable and subject to change. As borders disappear previously separated borderlands can unite and form a spatial unit where more increased economic interactions could integrate both sides to the global economy.The European continent is such a case which previously had been puctuated by strong state borders. Today the continent sees the physical and intellectual disappearance of borders. Regional integrations – like the European Union – spur this process and helps the integration of borderland inside and outside of the common market. The creation of a common market was a huge success and still a great deal of benefits are anticipated from the fulfillment. We are not taken by surprise when we see a massive increase in the number of border related studies and researchers. This field is very popular today. However the difference between Western and Eastern Europe is huge because eastern state borders are still strong or they link peripheral regions. There - under the communist times- border crossings were restricted and trade links were quite poor. No wonder that the tendencies of the past are still determining. This paper focuses on of one the most peripheral external borderland of the Schengen zone: the Hungarian-Ukrainian borderland. Expectations are running high and the disappearance of the border is a long-awaited hope. First I take into consideration the relevant economic theory in connection with more intense borderland dynamics. In the literature the trade theory, new economic geography and the traditional location theory approach this question. The approaches do not give coherent and clear-cut answers so I have to turn my attention to different empirical approaches. These show huge heterogeneity depending on the nature and character of the borderlands. In the mentioned case, settlement-level data are not fully available so I conduct a questionnaire-based survey. With 432 cases collected from 6 micro regions from the Ukrainian side I can measure the possible cross-border dynamics of the borderless situation. With this method I follow the empirical approach of other regionalists who have come to the conclusion that the opening-up of borders can lead to different dynamism. In this way I try to shed new light on the development possibilities and more increased economic interactions the Hungarian-Ukrainian borderland. The most important conclusion of this paper is the fact that with more intensive cross-border interactions not the neighbouring borderaland benefits but centrally located or larger towns in Hungary. In this way I can point to the fact that borderland dynamics could be quite limited in the research area. With this paper I could confirm previous studies and point to the fact that empirical analysis is needed to understand the local dynamism of a borderless space.

Keywords

• globalisation, spatial impact, borderlands, Hungary-Ukraine