Search

Recent research indicates that modern regions and cities give a special attention to attract people with features that best correspond to the contemporary individual, business and development challenges through creation of sound living and entrepreneurial framework conditions. The attractiveness of a region or a city can be assessed by exploring the opinions of the student population considering the questions about their future home place. This paper evaluates students’ perception of the place attractiveness and explores a number of issues related to their preferences on different aspects of future home place. It is based on the survey among 168 undergraduate students at the J.J. Strossmayer University in Osijek (Croatia) conducted in 2008. In particular, this research tries to ascertain what factors are of importance when young people choose home place. The students' opinions offer a fruitful insight into the factors underlying migration choice in the region lagging behind and therefore can be used as a basis for policy recommendation directed to enhance a regional or urban competitiveness.

The paper considers how institutions of higher education can impact the (economic) development of the country as well as the creation of knowledge-based economy in the Central and Eastern European Countries, particularly referring to Croatia. By discussing the globally rooted challenges for economy and society that often have a strong regional dimension, it offers an insight into emerging opportunities and challenges for universities and brings the experience of one Croatian university into debate on the likely future scenario for higher education in Croatia, particularly given the new emphasis being placed on investment in science, technology and innovation world-wide.