Reserach suggests that innovation and technical change are crucial for the econimic recovery of the former centrally planned countries in Central and Eastern Europe. This text analyzes the development of innovation systems and technology in this region from various perspectives.

Providing a unique empirical analysis of how systems of innovation undergo far-reaching transformation and change, this book will be of interest to economists and scholars involved in issues relating to innovation, technology, economic development and East-West integration. Policymakers in the EU and in Central and East European countries and practitioners involved in innovation-related activities will also find it of great appeal.

This book assesses under what conditions and to what extent international technology transfer may contribute to technology gap closure in overall industrial activity. It is of particular interest for all developing countries as well as for the socialist countries of Eastern Europe.

Science and technology in the former socialist Central and East European countries underwent a period of transformation in the last decade of the 20th century. With respect to the past, this represents the restructuring of the old system; with respect to the 21st century, however, it was the turbulent starting phase in the transition to new national innovation systems. Based on the authors' many years of research in this area the book analyses these processes in detail for 14 countries, reveals common features and differences in the transitional phase and inferres the prospects for the development of science and technology in Eastern Europe in the framework of EU enlargement.

'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.' - Paul Hare, Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh, UK '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.' - David Dyker, SPRU - Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Sussex, UK 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.

A systematic comparison of the institutions and incentive systems governing the processes of technological invention, innovation and diffusion in advanced market and centrally planned economies.

Although scholars have devoted much attention to the impact of technology on society, they have tended to slight the question of how technology is affected by social systems. The authors of this volume take precisely this approach in their examination of the "Soviet model" of development. The book surveys the history and current state of science and technology in the USSR and its former satellites. It then looks at the economic environment for technological innovation and examines the impact of the "energy shock" in the transitional economies of the region. Finally, it discusses the ecological devastation of the USSR and Eastern Europe, its connection with the "Soviet model" and the prospects for remediation. The central argument of the book is that the cultural and social factors and the legacy of the Soviet model will inevitable figure in the reconstruction of the East.

Technologie- und Umweltpolitik als Mittel gesellschaftlicher Gestaltung wird in den Landern Mittel- und Osteuropas in immer hoherem Masse wissenschaftlich anerkannt, gesellschaftlich gefordert und politisch gewollt, auch um den Anschluss an die entsprechende westeuropaische Politik herzustellen. Dabei geht es um die Reflexion der Folgen und die Behandlung von Fragen der gesellschaftlichen Einbettung bei Technisierungsprojekten. Gegenstand der Beitrage in diesem Band ist die gesellschaftliche Implementation und Integration von technischen Innovationen einschliesslich der technischen Begleitforschung in ausgewahlten Landern Ostmittel- und Osteuropas. Dabei geht es in erster Linie um die Identifizierung von Feldern des gesellschaftlich erwunschten technologischen Fortschritts; um das Aufzeigen von Gestaltungspotentialen und -hemmnissen; und um die Benennung politischer Handlungsspielraume, -optionen und -erfordernisse. Der in dieser Form nahezu einmalige internationale Vergleich erlaubt es, die Bedingungen der Einfuhrung, der Gestaltung und der gesellschaftlichen Integration von Technologien umfassend zu klaren; damit sind auch Ruckschlusse und Impulse fur nationale Konzepte und Strategien moglich.