Does Eastern Germany differ significantly from Western part in economic terms? How have new Bundesländer been developing over past twenty years? How fast has East been catching up with West? What could have hampered convergence? How today are German states equipped with factors determining future growth? How the new Bundeslander performed do compared with the old ones? This paper seeks to address above mentioned questions. It offers a comprehensive review of key economic developments of two decades of reunited Germany. Particularly it examines current economic landscape; investigates convergence processes taking place since reunification and tries to identify most likely impediments hampering full catching up. Finally, it aims at assessing contemporary growth potential of German states. With respect to the starting point - poor performance of East Germany back in 1990 the progress made and results achieved are impressive. Though, comparing the situation with Western part of the country - significant discrepancies continue to exist. Certainly, assessment of the last twenty years of reunited Germany hinges much upon perspective taken. Two decades after Berlin Wall Fall opinions on economic consequences of reunification are more balanced, since 'much has been achieved, but much still needs to be done'.
This paper argues that provision of industrial commons (IC), might be con- sidered as a crucial factor of a cluster’s attractiveness in digital transformation, e.g. in Industry 4.0 (I4.0) time. By drawing on the qualitative case study method of Hamburg Aviation cluster (HAv), it aims at exploring the nature of IC in the leading German I4.0 cluster. Proximity emerges, even if sometimes not explicitly, as the recurring top- ic facilitating the provision of IC, along with the advancement of I4.0. As Industry 4.0 stipulates much uncertainty, the closeness featuring in clusters, seems to bring various benefits, which can help address challenges associated with I4.0, and faced mainly by small and medium firms (SMEs). The vicinity to key actors and the gains of network- ing, reflect the importance of (un)articulated proximity.
In the aftermath of the 2008+ crisis economic protectionism was feared to return. Financial turbulence, trade imbalances, instability of fiscal policies and labour market deterioration made intervention by the state justified. To cushion the blow various measures were launched. Whereas major economic policies such as the fiscal, monetary or labour market policies were adjusted, little is known about possible modifications in other, less popular, areas of government activity such as the policy on foreign direct investment (FDI). By combining available sources – mainly international scoreboards and rankings – this article sought to classify the member states of the European Union (EU MS) according to their policies pursued in respect of outward and inward foreign direct investment (OFDI and IFDI) after 2008. The main value added could be seen in: (i) the selection, compilation and assessment of various indicators proposed as the most suitable approximation of FDI policies; (ii) the coverage of all the EU members without a priori focusing only on some cases; and (iii) touching upon OFDI which is rather rare in FDI literature dominated by studies on IFDI. The major obstacle which may impair the quality of the research outcome was the lack of proper indicators i.e. lack of variables which can stand for genuine FDI policy. The results obtained indicate the dominance of rather more restrictive attitudes in respect of inward and outward FDI amongst the EU member states in the aftermath of the 2008+ crisis.
(Polish title: Ocena prognozowanej sytuacji gospodarczej USA i wybranych krajow UE w latach 2012-2015 z wykorzystaniem metody pieciokata stabilizacji makroekonomicznej). The combined US and EU economies account for nearly half of the global GDP. In 2009, the total value of transatlantic economic relations, trade and investment flows included, was 780 billion euros. The scope and intensity of these relations are determined by multi- and bilateral initiatives such as ratified treaties or the activity of the TEC (Transatlantic Economic Council). Unquestionably, the quality of economic ties largely depends on the economic condition of parties involved. The knowledge concerning the factors of economic success is a prerequisite for international economic coordination undertaken in order to identify any irregularities and imbalances and thus address possible crises. This paper, attempts to evaluate the macroeconomic situation of the USA and selected EU countries: France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom and Poland in years 2012-2015. The used methodology bases on the concept of Macroeconomic Stabilisation Pentagon (MSP), which in the literature is applied mainly for the analysis of emerging and developing countries. The results obtained indicate that Germany may have the most stable economy, as measured by MSP, which, however, seems to be deteriorating, deteriorating over time, whereas Poland, whose macroeconomic performance ranks at the bottom of the list, should experience steady improvement.
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