DETUROPE - The Central European Journal of Regional Development and Tourism 2025, 17(3):164-188

Measuring Sustainable Social Innovation at Meso Level. A Hungarian Case Study: The Cities of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County

Tamás Sikos T.a, Dóra Szendib
a University of Miskolc, Faculty of Economics, Institute of Management Sciences, 3515 Miskolc-Egyetemváros
b University of Miskolc, Faculty of Economics, Institute of World and Regional Economics, 3515 Miskolc-Egyetemváros


Rapidly changing economic conditions have brought new challenges for the cities of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county in the Northern-Hungary region. The countys 28 towns are important spaces for residents, businesses and commerce, and are the fastest to bring new and innovative solutions to the county. The cities of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county are examined in the framework of our study through the lens of sustainability and social innovation providing a meso-level analysis in the field of social innovation. Miskolc, a city with county rights, is excluded from the scope of the cities studied, as this would significantly distort the sample and the results of the methodology. For the sake of our analysis, we have highlighted and included 3 elements from the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2018, which best reflect the concept of sustainable social innovation. As a result of our analysis, we have grouped the urban network of the county into 5 cluster groups. The aim of our analysis was to find out how the 28 cities of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county perform along the 3 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) priority dimensions. To what extent do the development dynamics and liveability of cities differ? The methodology chosen for the analysis was clustering. The results obtained reflect the specifities of the county’s urban network, the current economic situation of the region and the direction of its development. It can be concluded that, among the municipalities of the county, the dynamics and the liveability of most of the medium-sized and small cities, as well as of the settlements linked to the Miskolc agglomeration, are the most favourable in the region.

Keywords: sustainable social innovation, complex index, Hungarian cities, liveability, spatial inequalities, urban development

Published: December 26, 2025  Show citation

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Tamás Sikos, T., & Szendi, D. (2025). Measuring Sustainable Social Innovation at Meso Level. A Hungarian Case Study: The Cities of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County. DETUROPE - The Central European Journal of Regional Development and Tourism, 17(3), 164-188
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