Unquestionably, the creative economy’s weight and importance in nation-states’ economies are increasing. This study examines the performance of partnerships belonging to creative industrial branches in Hungary between 2008 and 2018. Research questions are as follows: What economic potential does the creative economy represent in Hungary, particularly in certain large cities? What tendencies exist regarding temporal changes? What are the professional branches in cities that defy the creative economy, and how has their performance changed during the period examined in this study? This analysis deals with partnerships in the creative economy in Budapest and eight Hungarian cities with a population greater than 100,000. Dun & Bradstreet Hungary, Ltd., provided the database used as the basis for the statistical analysis. The data of companies operating on the last day of the given year were collected based on valid Hungarian activity classification (TEÁOR’08) codes and according to the indicated registered office, thus guaranteeing full national coverage. Regarding headcount data, only reports for the entire calendar year were included in the study, based on the statistical headcount for the given year. Within the study’s 11-year reach, research has shown that there were no significant territorial changes in the creative economy and that Budapest still dominates the landscape, with the other eight cities playing minor roles (11%–12%). During the study period, all the cities had individual development paths.

Recently, Hungary's urban development issues have been gaining increasing attention, while directions and institutional frameworks of regional politics are in a constant change. In this context, the study discusses the contents and connotations that can be linked to the territorial concept of major Hungarian cities; it also examines the changes in the position of these cities in the urban system. Major cities have a key role in territorial development as they facilitate spatial processes, and hence it is crucial to identify the weight and directions these centres with complex functions represent in development concepts. The formation or even restructuring of spatial processes require time. Since the democratic transition in 1989-1990, different development directions were assigned to major cities in short cycles. Cities have failed to adapt to these ever-changing objectives. The first part of this study presents the layers of the concept of major cities and characterize such categories as regional centre, city, county seat, and city with county rights. The second part tries to locate these centres, exploring changes in their developmental emphases, and also identifies pathways in the frequently changing territorial politics of the posttransition period.

The authors will introduce Gyor as a significant member and centre both of this region and the Central European automotive industrial concentration. The study gives an overview of the emergence of the special Triple Helix Model in the analysed Hungarian town. Based on the results of the research programme 'Gyor Regional Vehicle Industrial District as a New Direction and Investment of Regional Development' (TÁMOP-4.2.2.A-11/1/KONV-2012-0010) completed in 2014, the authors will present the "Model of Gyor". The paper outlines the most significant theoretical and empirical results of the research which serves further development prospects, paths and examples to other Hungarian towns or to towns with similar industrial background around the world. The model represents the urban network structure as a 'living system' of Gyor that includes the university, the automotive industry and related innovative companies like Audi and the town (local government) as a coordinating factor.

The examination of regional competitiveness has become a research question of outstanding importance in the Central European post-socialist countries since joining the EU. In our study we will proceed to analyse the competitiveness of 93 NUTS2 level regions of 8 Central European countries with the help of an empirical data base, using multivariable statistical methods. After introducing the database, we are going to investigate into the common revealed competitiveness indicator. Not only revealed competitiveness categories shall be analysed with the help of multivariable statistical procedures, but also the background processes described by the factor analysis and the multivariable linear regression model. © 2013 CEEUN.