From spectator to walk-on to actor: An exploratory study of the internationalisation of Greek firms since 1989

The article follows the evolution of the Greek business activities in foreign countries. Based on two unique databases, the article acknowledges the existence of two sub-periods. More particularly, the years up to 1998 are characterized by two central elements, whose importance diminishes during the second period: the overwhelming significance of the Balkans (especially the countries bordering on Greece) and the hesitance of large Greek firms. In the second period, large firms make a dynamic entry, while some of them start behaving as real TNCs. However, the importance of small firms but also of the Balkans is preserved. As anticipated, with the shift of the morphological features of Greek entrepreneurial activity in foreign countries, the impact on the Greek economy also changes.Greece, Delocalization, Outsourcing, FDI

Brain drain and the Greek crisis

In the context of the debt crisis, recession, austerity and their socio-political consequences, Greece is experiencing a new major wave of out-migration. Emigration has become a survival strategy for many people who are finding it hard to make ends meet, while, at the same time, it has also emerged as an increasingly appealing option for others in less pressing need, who see their chances of socioeconomic advancement severely reduced. One dimension of this multifaceted phenomenon concerns the emigration of graduates, which accounts for approximately two-thirds of the outflow

A comparative study of typologies for rural areas in Europe

This paper examines alternative methodologies to build a typology for rural areas in Europe. First, it reviews the methodologies that have traditionally been used to construct area typologies in various contexts. It then uses data for European NUTS3 regions to build a typology for rural areas in Europe, on the basis of their peripherality and rurality. First, an aggregative approach to building typologies is adopted, under which the well-established statistical techniques of principal components analysis and cluster analysis are employed. We then highlight the disadvantages of this approach and we present an alternative disaggregative approach to the construction of typologies for rural areas in Europe. Finally, we discuss the policy implications of our suggested typology.

Greece’s new emigration at times of crisis

Although considerable research is being carried out on the phenomenon of immigration to Greece, there is a notable lack of scientific attention on the recent resurgence of emigration at times of recession and austerity. Aiming to partly fill in this gap, this paper contextualizes the recent resurgence of emigration within Greece’s changing and complexifying migratory landscape. In so doing, and drawing on quantitative and qualitative data, the paper describes the magnitude, dynamics and main destinations of the current crisis-driven emigration and outlines its demographics makeup. It further provides evidence on the multiplicity of migration trajectories and discusses the prospect of return and the potential of the development of transnational economic ties between Greece and its highly skilled emigrants

A comparative study of typologies for rural areas in Europe

This paper examines alternative methodologies to build a typology for rural areas in Europe. First, it reviews the methodologies that have traditionally been used to construct area typologies in various contexts. It then uses data for European NUTS3 regions to build a typology for rural areas in Europe, on the basis of their peripherality and rurality. First, an aggregative approach to building typologies is adopted, under which the well-established statistical techniques of principal components analysis and cluster analysis are employed. We then highlight the disadvantages of this approach and we present an alternative disaggregative approach to the construction of typologies for rural areas in Europe. Finally, we discuss the policy implications of our suggested typology

From spectator to walk-on to actor: An exploratory study of the internationalisation of Greek firms since 1989

The article follows the evolution of the Greek business activities in foreign countries. Based on two unique databases, the article acknowledges the existence of two sub-periods. More particularly, the years up to 1998 are characterized by two central elements, whose importance diminishes during the second period: the overwhelming significance of the Balkans (especially the countries bordering on Greece) and the hesitance of large Greek firms. In the second period, large firms make a dynamic entry, while some of them start behaving as real TNCs. However, the importance of small firms but also of the Balkans is preserved. As anticipated, with the shift of the morphological features of Greek entrepreneurial activity in foreign countries, the impact on the Greek economy also changes

From spectator to walk-on to actor: an exploratory study of the internationalisation of Greek firms since 1989

The article follows the evolution of the Greek business activities in foreign countries. Based on two unique databases, the article acknowledges the existence of two sub-periods. More particularly, the years up to 1998 are characterized by two central elements, whose importance diminishes during the second period: the overwhelming significance of the Balkans (especially the countries bordering on Greece) and the hesitance of large Greek firms. In the second period, large firms make a dynamic entry, while some of them start behaving as real TNCs. However, the importance of small firms but also of the Balkans is preserved. As anticipated, with the shift of the morphological features of Greek entrepreneurial activity in foreign countries, the impact on the Greek economy also changes

Entrepreneurship and institutional change in Post-socialist rural areas: Some evidence from Russia und the Ukraine

Are entrepreneurs in rural areas of Russia and the Ukraine any different from their urban based counterparts? What are the implications of the distinctiveness of rural entrepreneurship upon the institutional setting - given the weakness of the State? We focus upon the experience of rural areas of Novosibirsk and the Republic of Bashkortostan in Russia and Transcarpathia in the Ukraine. We argue that whilst in urban settings the advancement of post-socialist transformation resulted in increased diversity in the type of individual engaged in entrepreneurship. This raises concerns about the pace and direction of change in rural areas. However, even within the three localities under investigation there appears to be a growing divergence in the pathways of change.Unterscheiden sich Unternehmer in ländlichen Gebieten Russlands und der Ukraine von ihren städtischen Kollegen? Was sind die Folgen der Besonderheit von ländlichem Unternehmertum auf die institutionellen Rahmenbedingungen - vor dem Hintergrund des schwachen Staates? Dabei konzentrieren wir uns auf die ländlichen Gebiete von Nowosibirsk und der Republik Baschkortostan in Russland sowie Transkarpatien in der Ukraine. Wir behaupten, dass der Fortschritt der postsozialistischen Transformation lediglich im städtischen Umfeld zu einer verstärkten Vielfalt von individuellem Engagement im Unternehmertum geführt hat, nicht aber auf dem Lande. Dies verweist auf die Problematik des Tempos und der Richtung der Veränderungen in ländlichen Gebieten. Allerdings bestehen auch zwischen den drei Regionen wachsende Unterschiede bezüglich der eingeschlagenen Wandlungspfade