Territorial Reforms in Romania – Historical Evidence and Political Dimensions

In Romania, the reforms regarding the organization of the national territory, have been influenced both by political will and by historical traditions and external influences. The common element of the reforms was the county and, sometimes, the intention to create larger regions, in which development strategies and economic and social policies could be applied. The historical context in which the administrative-territorial reforms in Romania were carried out left its mark on the configuration of territorial structures. Correlated and integrated with economic and social changes, the administrative reforms aimed to create territorial structures that would contribute to the efficiency of the application of measures and actions aimed at reducing certain imbalances between different regions, but also better control over them. The impact of these reforms materialized in a series of phenomena that entailed quantitative and qualitative adjustments. Recently, we are witnessing new attempts at territorial-administrative reorganization, which should start from a correct understanding of the past, of the way in which various territorial reforms were conceived and launched and, above all, from clear economic and social objectives (reducing economic inequalities, ensuring social cohesion, increasing welfare, increasing the efficiency of public money spending).

territorial reforms, regional development, historical context, local administration, regions, counties.

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