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The purpose of this paper is to research the effect of abandoning the assumption of long-term time horizon in terms of reliability of the Global Competitiveness Report (GCR) findings. In order to achieve this goal we will compare the GCR findings with the findings of a composite index of competitiveness, named 6 BIC (Basic Indicators of Competitiveness). We have developed this index on the theoretical basis provided by Krugman, Fagerbergs, Scott, Lodge, Aiginger and others. Economists are aware that any theoretical conception, including the GCR, relies on a number of assumptions and postulations. If some of those have been under scrutiny, then the whole construction and its findings would lose their credibility. One of the most significant assumptions rooted in the Global Competitiveness Report is its longevity. In the long-term, the change in productivity level through price competitiveness certainly brings out a change in outcome competitiveness level. However, the effects in short-to-middle term are not certain. Our findings show that there is a whole range of countries whose national competitiveness is either under-estimated by the GCR (for example Russia, Turkey, Estonia, Moldova) or overvalued (Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Portugal, Spain) in short-to-middle term. The basic conclusion from the obtained results of the research is that the GCR does not provide sufficiently good view of the current competitiveness of the countries, and that this indicator needs to be extended also with other competitiveness indicators, such as those selected in our paper.

Koncept pametnog grada često se obrađuje, ali još nije postignuta konzistentna definicija. Ipak, svaki je opis gotovo uvijek usmjeren na njegovu tehnološku komponentu, politike održivog razvoja i omogućavanje visokih kapaciteta za učenje i inovacije. Osim toga, pametni grad ima za cilj povezivanje ljudi, informacija i drugih gradskih elemenata koristeći najsuvremenije tehnologije. Kao rezultat, stvara se održivi, zeleniji grad, potiče konkurentna i inovativna trgovina i povećava opća kvaliteta života.Integriranim prikazom pametnog grada ističe se da ne djeluje izolirano, te stoga, svaki podsustav grada treba razvijati svoju pametnu komponentu. Širok raspon rangiranja koristi se za određivanje pametnosti gradova mapiranjem prednosti i nedostataka svakog analiziranog grada. Kao način integriranja različitih pokazatelja u jednu vrijednost koja će predstavljati rang, najčešće se koristi složeni indeksni pristup.Ipak, složeni indeksi najčešće se formiraju primjenom pristupa jednakih pondera, što se u trenutnoj literaturi žestoko kritizira. U ovom radu pokušavamo pružiti dodanu vrijednost indeksu Smart City primjenom statističkog post-hoc I-distance pristupa. Postupak nam omogućuje osvjetljavanje pitanja osjetljivosti ranga gradova. Primjena post-hoc I-distance definira pokazatelje koji su najvažniji za postupak rangiranja što gradskim donositeljima odluka omogućava da poboljšaju svoje poslovanje, s naglaskom na upravo te pokazatelje., The smart city represents a frequently elaborated concept which however comes short in delivering a consistent definition. Nevertheless, almost every description has always been oriented to its technological component, sustainable development policies, and enabling high capacities for learning and innovation. Moreover, the smart city aims at connecting people, information and other city elements using state-of-the-art technologies. As a result, it creates a sustainable, greener city, pushes forward competitive and innovative commerce, and increases overall life quality. The integrated view of a smart city underlines it does not operate in isolation, which is why every subsystem of a city needs to develop its smart component. A wide range of rankings is used to determine the smartness of cities by mapping out the pros and cons of each analysed city. As the way to integrate various indicators into one value which will represent the rank, a composite index approach is most frequently used. Still, composite indexes are usually formed using the equal weight approach, which is heavily criticised in current literature. In this paper, we try to provide added value to the Smart City Index by implementing the statistical post hoc I-distance approach. The procedure enables us to shed some additional light on the issue of sensitivity of cities’ rank. The application of post hoc I-distance defines indicators which are most significant for the ranking process. It consequently empowers city decision-makers to improve their performance, with a focus on those particular indicators.

In the context of growing regional disparities which exist both in developed and developing countries, the primary goal of this paper is to examine the influence of total economic activities on regional disparities. In the research panel sample of the selected OECD countries has been used with the data for the time period from 2000 to 2011. The empirical analysis reveals that there is a long-term relationship between the variables, that economic growth and regional disparities move in the same direction and that the impact of economic growth on regional disparities is statistically significant. Consequently, in order to reduce regional disparities, it is necessary to increase the share of less developed regions in the total output. In this matter, it should be helpful to adequately coordinate policies about regional development from all levels of governance.