THE FIRM GEOGRAPHY OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE AND THE WESTERN BALKANS

Over the past three decades, significant socio-economic transformations have reshaped the post-socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe. This study examines the 'geography' of firms with over 10 employees across 15 countries: Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Using data from over 300,000 firms, the analysis focuses on firm size categories, turnover, and activity distribution. The research highlights disparities between post-socialist and other countries, employing descriptive statistics and the framework of agglomeration economies to uncover nuanced spatial patterns. The findings reveal significant differences in business concentration and the functions of small and medium-sized cities, particularly in regions without a European-scale metropolis, emphasising their role in regional economic and demographic sustainability.