German production networks in Central, Eastern Europe: between dependency and globalisation

This paper offers a first assessment of the contribution of international production to the dynamics of regional integration in Europe. After very high expectations, there is increasing scepticism concerning the role of foreign direct investment as an engine of growth in the region. On the basis of often implicit cross regional comparisons, it is argued that the level of foreign direct investment in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is low, that it does not lead to significant technology transfers and backward linkages, and that the prospects for Cross national productions networks to develop continent-wide are at best uncertain. The paper argues that generalisations based on foreign direct investment figures hide more than reveal and looks at the development of Outward Processing Traffic between the European Union (EU) and CEE as an alternative source of evidence to characterise some of the transformations that the European model of integration is undergoing. It finds that EU firms, mainly medium sized German companies, make an important use of non equity forms of international production when expanding eastwards. The resulting patterns of cooperation are fluid, but not necessarily precarious. In fact, they are an ideal vehicle for implementing new flexible methods of production which have greater potentials for spillovers and multiplier effects. Overall, these patterns of cooperation give rise to different market linkages that hardly fit into static categories, a process in which policy makers have only little say. -- Die vorliegende Studie bietet eine erste Bewertung der Auswirkungen internationaler Produktion auf die Dynamik regionaler Integration in Europa. Was die Rolle ausländischer Direktinvestitionen angeht, so sind die anfänglich sehr hohen Erwartungen mittlerweile der Skepsis gewichen. Auf der Grundlage oftmals impliziter regionsübergreifender Vergleiche wird hier festgestellt, daß Direktinvestitionen in Zentral- und Osteuropa niedrig sind, daß sie keine nennenswerten Technologietransfers und backward linkages mit sich bringen, und daß die Aussichten für die europaweite Entwicklung transnationaler Produktionsnetzwerke bestenfalls unsicher sind. Es wird argumentiert, daß Verallgemeinerungen auf der Basis von Direktinvestitionsziffern mehr verschleiern als enthüllen. Daher wird hier die Entwicklung von Outward-Processing-Verkehr zwischen der Europäischen Union und Zentral- und Osteuropa als alternative Quelle herangezogen, um einige der Transformationen zu kennzeichnen, welche das europäische Integrationsmodell im Augenblick durchmacht. Eine Feststellung ist, daß EU-Firmen, insbesondere mittelständische deutsche Unternehmen, bei der Ausdehnung in Richtung Osten starken Gebrauch von internationalen Produktionsnetzen zwischen unabhängigen Firmen (non-equity forms of production) machen. Die daraus resultierenden Kooperationsmuster sind fließend, aber nicht unbedingt unsicher. Sie könnten sich im Gegenteil als ideales Vehikel für die Einführung neuer flexibler Produktionsmethoden erweisen, die größeres Potential für Spillovers und Multiplikationseffekte bieten. Insgesamt führen solche Produktionsnetze zwischen unabhängigen Unternehmen zu neuen Marktverbindungen, die sich kaum in feststehende Kategorien einordnen lassen. Auf diesen Prozeß haben Politiker nur wenig Einfluß.

What lessons to draw from multiple regional case studies: between comparability and specificity

Abstract This paper, presented at the Sixth European Conference on Evaluation of Cohesion Policy (Warsaw, 30 November-1 December 2009), addresses the specific case of regional case studies, i.e., case studies concerned with the effects of a SF programme implemented in a region. In the following, we draw on the concrete experience of the ex post evaluation of ERDF in 2000-06 (in particular Work package 4 Structural Change and Globalisation hereafter WP4) and other evaluations to review a set of principles that could help solve the dilemma between promoting specificity and making possible comparison and generalisation intrinsic to multiple case studies. The paper distinguishes three stages at which specific steps can be taken to ensure the final comparability and generalisation of findings: selection phase, implementation of the cases on the ground, and synthesis and generalisation. The intention is here to be deliberately concrete and useful, providing pragmatic solutions.Case study, Cohesion Policy

German production networks in Central/ Eastern Europe: between dependency and globalisation

"Die vorliegende Studie bietet eine erste Bewertung der Auswirkungen internationaler Produktion auf die Dynamik regionaler Integration in Europa. Was die Rolle ausländischer Direktinvestitionen angeht, so sind die anfänglich sehr hohen Erwartungen mittlerweile der Skepsis gewichen. Auf der Grundlage oftmals impliziter regionsübergreifender Vergleiche wird hier festgestellt, daß Direktinvestitionen in Zentral- und Osteuropa niedrig sind, daß sie keine nennenswerten Technologietransfers und 'backward linkages' mit sich bringen, und daß die Aussichten für die europaweite Entwicklung 'transnationaler Produktionsnetzwerke' bestenfalls unsicher sind. Es wird argumentiert, daß Verallgemeinerungen auf der Basis von Direktinvestitionsziffern mehr verschleiern als enthüllen. Daher wird hier die Entwicklung von 'Outward-Processing-Verkehr' zwischen der Europäischen Union und Zentral- und Osteuropa als alternative Quelle herangezogen, um einige der Transformationen zu kennzeichnen, welche das europäische Integrationsmodell im Augenblick durchmacht." (Autorenreferat)"This paper offers a first assessment of the contribution of international production to the dynamics of regional integration in Europe. After very high expectations, there is increasing scepticism concerning the rote of foreign direct investment as an engine of growth in the region. On the basis of often implicit cross regional comparisons, it is argued that the level of foreign direct investment in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is low, that it does not lead to significant technology transfers and backward linkages, and that the prospects for 'cross national productions networks' to develop continent-wide are at best uncertain. The paper argues that generalisations based an foreign direct investment figures hide more than reveal and looks at the development of outward processing traffic between the European Union (EU) and CEE as an alternative source of evidence to characterise some of the transformations that the European model of integration is undergoing. It finds that EU firms, mainly medium sized German companies, make an important use of non equity forms of international production when expanding eastwards. The resulting patterns of cooperation are 'fluid', but not necessarily precarious. In fact, they are an ideal vehicle for implementing new flexible methods of production which have greater potentials for spillovers and 'multiplier effects'. Overall, these patterns of cooperation give rise to different market linkages that hardly fit into static categories, a process in which policy makers have only little say." (author's abstract

International business and the European integration process : the example of outward processing traffic between the European Union and the Central and Eastern European countries

Defence date: 4 July 1997Examining board: Prof. P.A. Messerlin, FNSP, Paris (co-supervisor); Prof. L.K. Mytelka, UNCTAD, Geneva; Prof. S. Strange, University of Warwick (supervisor); Prof. J. Zielonka, EUI, FlorenceFirst made available online on 19 June 201

Space market uptake in Europe

The launch of the European Union (EU) Space Policy in 2007 gave a new momentum to the implementation of the two European space flagship programmes Copernicus (Earth Observation) and Galileo (GNSS - Global Navigation Satellite System). Whereas Galileo is still in its deployment phase, Copernicus has already entered the exploitation phase. So far, roughly EUR 6 billion have been funded by the EU for the design and development of the two programmes and more than EUR 11 billion have been earmarked in the 2014-2020 programming period. Key rationales for EU intervention in the space sector include: i) the need to develop an independent European space satellite infrastructure, ii) the advantage of putting together resources and expertise from ESA and Member States, and iii) the opportunity to benefit from the development of a satellite-based services and products that would contribute to the achievement of the Europe 2020 objectives

Genome Expression Dynamics Reveal the Parasitism Regulatory Landscape of the Root-Knot Nematode Meloidogyne incognita and a Promoter Motif Associated with Effector Genes.

Root-knot nematodes (genus Meloidogyne) are the major contributor to crop losses caused by nematodes. These nematodes secrete effector proteins into the plant, derived from two sets of pharyngeal gland cells, to manipulate host physiology and immunity. Successful completion of the life cycle, involving successive molts from egg to adult, covers morphologically and functionally distinct stages and will require precise control of gene expression, including effector genes. The details of how root-knot nematodes regulate transcription remain sparse. Here, we report a life stage-specific transcriptome of Meloidogyne incognita. Combined with an available annotated genome, we explore the spatio-temporal regulation of gene expression. We reveal gene expression clusters and predicted functions that accompany the major developmental transitions. Focusing on effectors, we identify a putative cis-regulatory motif associated with expression in the dorsal glands, providing an insight into effector regulation. We combine the presence of this motif with several other criteria to predict a novel set of putative dorsal gland effectors. Finally, we show this motif, and thereby its utility, is broadly conserved across the Meloidogyne genus, and we name it Mel-DOG. Taken together, we provide the first genome-wide analysis of spatio-temporal gene expression in a root-knot nematode and identify a new set of candidate effector genes that will guide future functional analyses

Interaktivno učenje in dohitevanje v srednje in vzhodnoevropskih državah

The article looks at Outward Processing Traffic (OPT) between the European Union (EU) and Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) to provide evidence on whether and how international trade and production contribute to raising CEECs\u27 competitiveness. Adopting a "learning and innovation approach", it finds that OPT has been characterised by its unanticipated enduring persistence with important implications for the terms on which East-West interdependence is expanding. Developing mainly at the instigation of large German companies in the con text of rationalisation strategies at the regional scale, O PT has become in some circumstances an instrument of "learning by interacting", helping local firms to upgrade their capabilities and boost their competitiveness. However, the "learning mechanisms" that the arrangement triggers are developing unevenly throughout sectors and countries, with the resulting further entrenchment of development potential in the region.Avtorica proučuje posle izvoznega oplemenitenja med Evropsko unijo in državami srednje in vzhodne Evrope, da bi tako pojasnila, ali oziroma kako mednarodna menjava in proizvodnja prispevata k večji konkurenčnosti držav srednje in vzhodne Evrope. Ko sprejme \u27pristop učenja in inoviranja\u27 , avtorica ugotavlja, da posli izvoznega oplemenitenja trajajo daljše obdobje od predvidenega, kar ima pomembne posledice za ustvarjanje (pogojev) soodvisnosti Vzhoda in Zahoda. Posli izvoznega oplemenitenja, ki so se razvili predvsem na pobudo nemških podjetij v kontekstu njihovih strategij racionalizacije na nivoju regije, so postali v nekaterih okoliščinah sredstvo \u27interaktivnega učenja\u27, saj so pomagali domačim podjetjem, da so povečala svoje zmožnosti in konkurenčnost. Vendar pa se \u27mehanizmi učenja\u27, ki ga takšni posli sprožijo, razvijajo neenako po sektorjih in državah, kar povzroča dodatne razlike v razvojnem potencialu v srednje- in vzhodnoevropski regiji

The political economy of competitiveness in an enlarged Europe

Central and Eastern European countries are entering the development race at a crucial juncture in EU enlargement and the wider phenomenon of globalization. In the face of hesitant and controversial EU policy, these countries need to engage sound development strategies. International production networks are expected to be decisive in helping them strengthen their competitiveness and establish knowledge-based economies. In this book, Julie Pellegrin looks at whether and how production networks develop in Central and Eastern European countries and assesses their chances of catching up with the rest of Europe.-- The enlargement problematique: heterogeneity, catching up and convergence -- The neglected importance of OPT in CEECs' foreign trade -- OPT partnership at firm-level: a 'learning approach' -- The transformation of a policy instrument -- The politics of OPT -- Theories of regional economic integration revisitedPublished version of EUI PhD thesis, 199