The Globalization of Industry and Innovation in Eastern Europe: From Post-socialist Restructuring to International Competitiveness

In this important book, industrial and enterprise reform over the last decade in Eastern Europe is critically reviewed in light of increasing Eastern integration into the global economy. The authors argue for the further globalization of Eastern European enterprise networks as a condition for recovery and growth in the region. Empirical evidence is provided from five industrial sectors (car industry, telecommunication, shipbuilding, computers, software), including case studies and international comparisons.

Table of Contents:
Contents: 1. Introduction Part I: Conceptual Framework 2. An Evolutionary View of Post-socialist Restructuring 3. Enterprise Reform and Competition Analysis in the Post-socialist Context Part II: Empirical Analysis and Case Studies 4. The Reemergence of the Automotive Industry in Eastern Europe 5. Local, Regional and Global Production Networks 6. Eastern European Shipbuilding’s Cruise Towards World Markets 7. Food Processing in Western and Eastern Europe 8. Restructuring of the Telecommunications Sector in the West and the East and the Role of Science and Technology 9. Software 10. The Eastern European Computer Industry 11. Restructuring the Computer and Software Industries in Poland Part III: Summary and Outlook 12. Main Findings and Perspectives for Innovation Policies in Eastern Europe and the West Index

About the Author :
Edited by Christian von Hirschhausen, Professor of Energy Economics and Public Sector Management, Dresden University of Technology (TU Dresden), and Research Director, DIW Berlin (German Institute for Economic Research), Germany and Jürgen Bitzer, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Germany

Review :
'This welcome book examines the automotive industry, with case studies from the Czech Republic, Russia, and Hungary; shipbuilding, with the emphasis on Russia, East Germany, and Poland; food processing throughout the region; telecommunications, with case studies from Russia, Latvia, and Hungary; and computing, both software and hardware, with case studies from throughout the region.' The topic is important and neglected and has major implications for the types of industrial policy that make any sense in transition countries. The clear message of this book is that protective science and technology policies would, for the most part, be a total waste of money. What is needed now is internationalization and a demand-driven approach, exactly the opposite of the former nationally based and supply-led systems existing under socialism.' 'Here is a book that goes beyond the abstractions and platitudes of conventional "transition economics" to look at what is really happening on the ground in the post-socialist countries of Eastern Europe . . . The Globalization of Industry and Innovation in Eastern Europe presents a provocative but richly documented assessment of the central dynamic issues facing the East European economies today.' 'The book is important . . . it provides new empirical evidence and new ideas about the restructuring process in Central Eastern Europe. It should be useful to anybody interested in evolution of industry in the region and in the process of re-establishing links with the global economy.'