of a wide range of potential developing areas1, and finally, its importance in the
presence of manifold functions of the state. In addition, it is necessary to depict the level
of interrelatedness and complementarity, which is realised in a triangular relation of the
market - planning - economic politics, while the structure of economy and society, i.e.
institutional organisation, undoubtedly represents a special aspect.
In the Republic of Serbia planning has for decades been not only an important part of
the system, but perhaps the most prominent determining element and strength of
economic, political and ideological practice. It conditioned the character and modalities
of the society under development. The effects of such planning system were obvious
and in relation to the planning process itself, whenever recently mentioned it evokes
associations that relate planning to the roots of the so called “eastern sin”.
The necessity of building a new approach is inevitable and it has to be harmonised with
the fundamental identity of the society, i.e. with the future orientation of the country,
while being simultaneous with related achievements accomplished in countries with
developed market economies. Monitoring of the latest international experiences in the
field of regional development and planning lead us to a conclusion that inherent
indicative planning from long ago has gradually transformed itself into something known
as local strategic structural planning. This kind of planning, being the integral part of the
so-called “Global”2 approach to regional development and development in general, is
very present in mixed economies and integrating countries. In course of time, these
groupings have had to orient themselves towards planning as an important element for
the market labelled as “organised market” or “human-oriented market”. Such a concept
has developed as an answer to the question of the establishment of competitiveness,
thus a long-term dynamical economic balance.
Common features of different interpretations of strategic planning and development
management can be distinguished as follows:
• Prevailing partial approach, defined with clear specific objectives, i.e. field that is
prefixed as - local development, ethno-development or environmental
development, which refers to specialised action
• Referring to multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity and emphasised necessity
to define relations among different developing areas, holders, etc.
1 The most important developing areas are the following: international exchange, industrialisation process,
technological development and dissemination, economic sectors, relation between nationalisation and
transnationalisation of development, regional development, local development, rural development,
environmental development, sustainable development, cultural development, development of human rights,
etc.
2 This approach is generally known as hybrid model - a combination of Global and Local approaches to
developing tendencies