The correlation between the human resources and
infrastructure at the development regions level in Romania
Ph.D Univ. Prof. Zizi GOSCHIN
Ph.D Univ. Prof. Cornelia PÂRLOG
Ph.D Univ. Prof. Daniela L. CONSTANTIN
The evolution of a country’s human potential, its differentiations and territorial
variations cannot be analyzed apart from the general economic context, the level and
the quality of the services offered to the population and the demographic policy
characteristics. Human resources utilization is an essential component of economic
development strategies and is depending upon the economy and infrastructure
evolution at the same time.
Romania’s population has recorded in the last 16 years a downwards
dynamics, strongly correlated with the general economic decline that marked the main
part of this time period. Human resources utilization level also had a negative
evolution, that may be explained by more causes: the production decrease (especially
the industrial one) as a result of the internal market tightening and the losing of
important segments of the external market, failures in some macrostabilisation
programs and privatization delay, investments diminishing, low mobility of labour
force, constraints generated by the international situation. At the population decrease
also contributed the changes in legislation regarding the birth regime (abortion
liberalization), the worsening of the health condition and the major increase in outmigration flows, favorised by the permissive legislation adopted after 1990 as well.
The overall economic decline has also been reflected by the level and quality
of infrastructure at national at regional level. The level of endowment with transport
infrastructure (roads, railways, pipelines networks), water and energy supply,
communications infrastructure and on-line services, special urban endowments
(sewerage network, garbage gathering, etc.), environmental infrastructure, social,
cultural and health endowments are situated at a lower level compared with the
European Union member states. There are also significant disparities in respect with
territorial infrastructure endowment, some regions being much below the national
average. This situation creates difficulties with regard to economic infrastructure
modernization at sectorial and regional level, as well as for the improvement of social
services quality.
We are intending an analysis of the demographic potential and human
resources dynamics in Romania since 1990, at both national and regional level, in
close relationship with the transportation, communication, cultural, health and urban
endowment infrastructure evolution.
We are presenting a brief characterization of the general economic and social
environment, as well as the social situation and population dynamics at national level,
followed by an insight into specific evolutions of regional structures. Then, we are
analyzing the regional indices in which partial human resources and infrastructure
indicators are synthesized, in order to measure the intensity of the correlation
established between the regional level of the human factor and that of infrastructure.
The dynamics of the synthetic regional indices can be further employed as a reference
point in order to conceive and implement regional policies differentiated in
accordance with each region’s position in the national context.