Reconstructing the Regional Economy

The current economic transition in Central and Eastern Europe is leading to the emergence of significant fragmentation within regions and between countries. The competitive struggle for scarce resources and global markets during the transition to capitalism in Eastern and Central Europe has caused countries to move away from a process of regional convergence which existed under state socialism to regional divergence. This book focuses on regional economic change in Eastern and Central Europe using Slovakia as a case study. It explains the relationship between industrial change and regional development, and discusses fragmentation within the context of the legacy of the state socialist industrialization model. The book interweaves up-to-date empirical analysis with theoretical debates and uses regional case studies to highlight key issues. Reconstructing the Regional Economy examines both the limits and scope of regional capitalist development, documenting the nature and causes of uneven development in Slovakia. It addresses industrial and restructuring strategies, arguing that current progress must be understood within the context of the past, and that the present complex mix of old and new economic and institutional structures contribute significantly to economic fragmentation and divergence. The author criticises shock therapy, and argues that the transition to a market economy cannot simply be achieved through filling the supposed vacuum left by the collapse of central planning. This original and important book will be welcomed by academics and students interested in the economics of transition and by policymakers in Western and Eastern European countries.