The Regional Development Agency Experiences of Turkey and Romania

Economic growth and development take priority in a country's economic and social objectives. When examining historical periods, there are central points in economic and social activities for reasons such as geopolitical status and geographic characteristics. Regional imbalances are a significant socio-economic problem that is apparent in many countries. Development agencies implemented by many developed or developing countries aim to eliminate regional imbalances. Turkey and Romania have different regional development levels. However, both countries face the problem of regional development differences. The EU Regional Policy, through the approach of a regional development agency, can help to close the gap between regions in both countries. The legislative framework of regional development was established by Regional Development Law No. 151 in 1998 after first carrying out an analysis of the regional disparities in Romania. RDAs entered the Turkish legal system with Law No. 5449 concerning the establishment, coordination, and tasks of development agencies in 2006. In this study, we explain both countries' RDA experiences within the organizational structures and the development of agencies following a theoretical approach.