Economic Competitiveness and Availability of Road Infrastructure

The level of road infrastructure development brings about several benefits, such as shorter travel times, reduced transport costs, or improved road safety. Undoubtedly, it is also a factor that has had a beneficial impact on the growth of certain regions. This is particularly important for the entire economy (in the macroeconomic context), for regions (on the meso-regional level) and for business enterprises (the macroeconomic aspect). The aim of this study has been to evaluate the effect of the availability of road infrastructure on the economic competitiveness of Polish voivodeships. To this end, the Regional Competitiveness Index (RCI) was compared with the ratio of the density of hard-surface roads per 100 km2. The analysis showed that the highest regional competitiveness and simultaneously the highest road density ratio were in the voivodeships: śląskie, małopolskie and mazowieckie. However, the majority of regions in Poland are composed of voivodeships with both of these indicators scoring below zero. These are regions in the eastern part of Poland; as well as the lubuskie and zachodniopomorskie voivodeships.