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Global Value Chains and Upgrading – Experiences of Hungarian Firms in the Machinery Industry
5-22Views:261Global production networks and global value chains have become widespread today. In these cases firms locate the various stages of their value adding activities across different countries. The activities of global value chains form a new phase of globalization characterized by fragmented production, transfer of technology, and decreasing transport costs (Kaplinsky 2013). Developing countries are involved in these production networks, perceiving this as an important (if not the only) way to develop. The Central European countries have taken an active part in the chains of multinational firms since the nineties. The benefit derived from this participation varies across sectors and firms. In this article we analyze the experiences of Hungarian companies in the machinery industry. The structure of the article is the following. After a description of the basic research question and methodology, a literature review is provided. In the following section we introduce the companies surveyed and review their product-, process- and functional upgrading experiences. Finally, we discuss our findings and suggest some managerial and policy implications.
Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) codes: F23, M21
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The role of France in the economy of the EU
207-224Views:111The author examines the decisive role of France within the EU. After a preliminary examination of the principles of European integration and its historical development, the article analyses the netwrok of connections existing between the EU and the French economy, as well as the period of growth and retrenchment in its development. The main theme of the article is the debate over the stability and growth pact and the circumstances and consequences of the failure to comply with the pact's rules caused by the France's long-lasting budget. This failure calls into question, and in the long term may be fatal for the future of European integration and for the direction of a common supra-national economic policy and the national responses it requires. The common European currency, and the stability and future of the Euro are also affected, since this failure can influence the co-operative efforts of the various elements of the European Union in an unprecedented way. It also affects the relationships bewteen the smaller and larger countries, and the economic opportunities of all member states.
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Néhány szó a szabályrendszer által korlátozott fiskális politikáról
131-152Views:109Magyarországon, 2005 őszén ismét – immár menetrendszerűen – a költségvetés tervezése kapcsán viták zajlottak. Az Európai Unió tagjaként ráadásul új elemmel is bővült a disputa, előtérbe került az EMU tagsághoz szükséges deficitkorlátozás problematikája, és a lehetséges csatlakozási időpontok meghatározásával kapcsolatban is jelentős véleménykülönbségek alakultak ki. Vajon más országokban is hasonlóképpen alakul a költségvetés elfogadásának eljárása? Az államháztartási többlet csupán a tankönyvekből ismert utópia? E kérdések megválaszolásához a fiskális politika, a fiskális korlátozások és azok szükségességének kérdéskörét tárgyalom a közgazdaságtan fejlődéstörténetébe helyezve, majd az Európai Monetáris Unió és a feltörekvő gazdaságok fiskális politikáját elemzem. A tanulmány befejező részében empirikus kutatásaimról adok számot, melynek kapcsán bemutatom és megvizsgálom néhány EU-tagország egymástól eltérő fiskális teljesítményét az elmúlt 15 évben. Az elemzés nyomán kapott eltérő eredmények egyik magyarázatául az szolgálhat, hogy a fenntarthatóan kiegyensúlyozott államháztartás szükségességére vonatkozóan tett közgazdasági felismerés és a szabályrendszer megléte nem
elégséges a fenntarthatóan kiegyensúlyozott államháztartás biztosításához. A nevezett tényezőkön túl politikai akarat és megfelelő intézményrendszer is szükséges azok megvalósításához, miközben a gazdaságpolitikának elegendő mozgástere marad saját preferenciarendszerének megvalósítására. -
Economy of Austria
125-148Views:159In my article I examine a member state of the European Union, the open and federal Austria, which can be considered as an example of a corporate economy. During the reconstruction period following the Second World War the Austrian economy was characterized by a frantic economic expansion. After the oil crisis, an incomparably low inflation rate and low unemployment, and the more dynamic than average economic growth attracted attention to the country. Due to the intensified external economic interest, the Austrian model - namely the economic policy and establishment - was widely studied at this time. However, at the beginning of the 1980's some structural problems appearing in the economy contributed to slowdown in growth, until the political changes of the year 2000, which finally brought a new favourable turn in economic policy. I start with an examination of Austria's economic status after the Second World War, then the development, changes and role of the Austrian social partnership. I go on to analyze today's Austria from the point of view of the sustainable balanced budget, focusing on the financial circumstances of the state, such as the complex financial connections derived from federalism.
Journal of Economic Literature (JEL): H62, H63
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Development aid as a global public good – a case study
86-97Views:133This study introduces a new concept to the analysis of development aid. Aid is regarded as a global public good where donors benefit from the advantages of aid without rivalry and exludability. The public-goodnature of aid is a logical explanation for the deficiencies of the international aid regime, especially the suboptimal supply of aid and the free-riding of donors. The concept of aid as a public good raises the question whether there are any actors who could produce this global public good. The study analyses whether nongovernmental organizations are able to fill this gap in the international aid regime. The model is introduced through a case study: aid in Afghanistan in general, and the activities of the NGO Hungarian Baptist Aid in the country.
Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) classifications: F590, H410
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The role of culture in economic growth: an assessment, criticism and paths for future research
22-44Views:235There is an abundance of empirical literature on the impact of culture on economic development. This literature has been developing at the margin of growth theory and institutional economics. This paper reviews this branch of the literature by structuring it into three main lines, and placing an emphasis on (self)-criticism directed towards it, as well. The author provides some proposals for further steps towards improving the culturegrowth empirical literature, following the two routes identified by the (self)-criticism.
Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) codes: O43, Z19
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Reflections on the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sir J. R. Hicks (1904-1989)
167-175Views:127Several major articles have been published recently reviewing or reconsidering the result of Nobel prize winning economists on the occasion of an anniversary. This study has the same objective. John Richard Hicks was born on April 8th 1904 in Leamington Spa, England. We commemorate his work from a peculiar perspective on the 100th anniversry of his birth. We focus on where the roots of the history of the "theory of finance" are to be from, what influence Hicks had on the pioneering work in this field, as well as how his results - with particular attention to the interpretation of risk - have been modified by succeeding generations.
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Eras and watertsheds in business informatics
5-28Views:141The history of business informatics csan be described as a consequence of specific periods. The separation and the analysis of these period may help in understanding the logic of industry development and to identify key future trends. The study summarizes the criteria which can be used for the identification of specific periods and describes important approaches to development analysis. The unfolding of a new period can be an important turning point in the life of industry players: general condition change, consequently the nature of competition can become radically different. The study concludes with an analysis of the present state of the industry with some expected future trends.
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Kilépések politikája : Hogy válnak meg a kockázati tőkések a befektetéseiktől?
83-98Views:206A tanulmány két részre tagolódik. Az első fejezetekben a szerző bemutatja a kockázatitőke-befektetésekből történő kilépések stratégiai jelentőségét, a kilépések módját és idejét befolyásoló tényezőket és a sikeres kiszállásokat elősegítő tevékenységeket. A tanulmány arra keresi a választ, hogy mik az egyes módozatok előnyei és hátrányai a tulajdonosok, a menedzserek és az adott cég számára. A második rész az exitek számának és értékének változásait tárja fel a 2000-től kezdődő időszakban Európában, hangsúlyt fektetve a közép-kelet-európai tendenciákra, külön kiemelve a magyarországi változásokat.
Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) kód: G24, G32
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An analysis of services for general economic purposes and universal services in the European Union
49-66Views:131A topic in the focus on debates on the European social model has been to define the future role of Services of General Economic Interest (SGEI). The European Commission launched a widespread public discussion on the public utility related objectives of SGEI, their impacts on the quality of life, on the environment and on the competitiveness of European firms, as well as on ways of organising and financing these services. This discussion has received an important input from rulings of the European Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance in cases on Services of General Economic Interest. Although these court rulings lacked consistency in some cases, they still helped to obtain more accurate definitions of SGEI. Most member countries of the EU have started to elaborate the concept of universal services, but there are still serious loopholes in the field of monitoring, control, quality management and in terms of financing. To sum up, the EU member country level practice of universal services in the energy sector is still in the first phase of realisation.
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A munkaerő-piaci intézmények hatásai a foglalkoztatásra szektorális megközelítésben
27-41Views:162Recently, there have been serious debates attempting to explain the role of institutions and their interactions as they might influence the impact of economic growth on employment. However, essentially no clear theoretical consensus has yet emerged and several unanswered problems remain. From this point of view, one interesting question is how institutions matter, and also what kind of characteristics they should have in economies. In our estimations ws followed a sectoral approach to identify the main features of institutions. In order to demonstrate short and lon run economic processes we use an error-correction method to analyze how certain intitutions and their interactions determine employment growth in different market-and non-market oriented branches. All in all, we demonstrate that unions, minimum wages and unemployment benefits have influenced employment in different ways.
JEL classification: J21, J45, E02.
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Limits of Economic Theories in Border Research
98-116Views:162The paper approaches the possible consequences of further trade liberalization, integration and the disappearance of borders from the perspective of well-known economic theories. After putting forward the questions and hypotheses, the author shows the different conclusions of economic approaches in the case of further integration and disappearing borders in borderlands. Using the results of economic theories the paper outlines the development path of those spatial units where state borders still play an important role in forming economic interactions. It comes to the conclusion that only regional reshuffling
can be mentioned in relation to further integration. The paper also draws attention to the fact that economic theories do not give clear-cut and comprehensive answers for development, so the economic approach could be too simplistic. Consequently, a wellelaborated empirical research programme could provide a genuinely nuanced picture of the development path of borderlands.Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) classifications: F15, O18, R12
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Greenxit: Greenland’s Case with the European Union
34-53Views:339In connection with the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Brexit) a little-known episode of the European Union history became particularly interesting and timely: Greenland entered the European Community in 1973 together with Denmark, and later it left in 1985. This study provides an overview of the accession and withdrawal of Greenland to and from the European Communities and then it is put into a comparative context. On the one hand Greenxit is examined in the light of the planned withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, on the other hand it is compared with the almost-entry of Iceland. The study concludes that considering the key aspects of the case of Greenland it does not resemble that of the Brexit. However, the differences between the sovereignty and economic, political weight of the two territories explain the attitude of the EC/EU to the withdrawal. The comparison with Iceland highlights the importance of fisheries.
Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) codes: F53, P52
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The imbedding of a new faculty into the region: A complimentary study for the 10th anniversary of the foundation of economics training in Debrecen
1-13Views:120The article describes the situation of the Faculty of Economics, comparing it with other schools in the country, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of economics training in Debrecen. It analyses the regionality of the application recruitment and the job possibilities of graduate students.
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Just-in-Time system in terms of real options
Views:138The value creation process in a company and the competitive position are critically influenced by corporate resource allocation and proper valuation of investment alternatives. After the Second World War, capital budgeting and strategic planning emerged as two complementary but different systems for resource allocation. The real options approach developed in the ’80s may provide a useful tool for making a connection between capital budgeting and strategic management. Real options are implicit managerial and operating flexibilities embedded in many non-financial assets and liabilities. In a wider sense: “A real option is the investment in physical assets, human competence, and organisational capabilities that provide the opportunity to respond to future contingent events” (Kogut-Kulatilaka, 2001). This paper shows that Just-in-Time (JIT) system as management philosophy can be regarded as a knowledge-based or capability-based implicit strategy rather than a simple, easy-toimitate best practice approach. Moreover, implementation of JIT can be considered as a strategic investment. The presentation focuses on how the relation among strategic investments, developed technological systems and corporate strategy can be expressed through the real options view.
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Adósságválságtól a NAFTA első évtizedéig – Mexikó gazdaságfejlődésének kérdőjelei
43-65Views:200Az 1982-es adósságválság végett vetett Mexikó csaknem negyven éven át tartó, dinamikus gazdasági növekedéssel jellemezhető fejlődési korszakának. A krízis Mexikót fejlesztési stratégiájának átgondolására és orientációjának megváltoztatására kényszerítette, kezdetét kellett vennie egy olyan fájdalmas, de szükséges folyamatnak, melynek célja egyrészt az előző évtizedekben kialakult makroökonómiai egyensúlytalanságok leépítése, másrészt az állam által irányított importhelyettesítésre alapozó fejlesztési politikától, mikroökonómiai reformok sorával, a piaci erők szabadabb érvényesülésével a gazdasági szerkezet racionalizálása felé való elmozdulás volt. Az ország az 1980-as évek első generációs reformjait követően, az 1990-es évek elmaradó második generációs reformjainak hiányában azonban nem tudta megváltoztatni azt a gazdasági és külkereskedelmi szerkezetet, amely már az „elveszett” évtized végére kialakult, és amely csak kevés növekedési impulzust tudott adni a gazdaság többi részének. A kezdeti alacsony fejlettségi szint miatt és az 1990-es években elmaradó további reformok hiányában Mexikó csak korlátozott mértékben tudta kihasználni a NAFTA-ból származó potenciális és előzetesen nagyon várt előnyöket.
Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) kód: F15, O54.
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Chile and the Global Depression
132-146Views:139The 2007-2009 economic crisis ended an exceptional, five year-long economic boom for Chile and other countries in Latin America. The most beneficial economic outcome of the upswing was the fundamental improvement of the region’s countries in terms of the current crisis, which greatly reduce these countries’ vulnerability to external economic shocks. Based on the previous assumption several economists shared the opinion that “This time things are different”. That is, the fate of the continent in the current crisis will be decided differently as the global downturn has barely affected the region’s economic indicators. However, from September 2008 it has become apparent that the continent’s economy remains vulnerable. The crisis, which has infected the real economy through multiple channels, has reached two major victims of the recession, - Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe – leaving them with a decline in GDP per capita and the slowdown of economic growth. Conversely, Chile experienced a decline of a lesser extent due to its structural reforms and was able to re-orientate to its previous growth path much quicker than the rest of the continent’s economy after the ending of the crisis.
JEL classification: O54, H12, O20
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"Siamese Twins" or mutual loathing: economic dimensions of EU-USA transatlantic relations
83-100Views:147The present study addresses the system of transatlantic relationships which, while not without difficulties and discomforts, are at the same time in a state of continual development and expansion. Starting from the historical and diplomatic antecedents and the main characterisitics of the commercial and investment relationships between the EU and the USA, the authors examine the components and operating mechanisms of bilateral economic, co-operation. In describing economic relationships, the authors attempt to answer the questions of how accurate the expression "Siamese Twins" is when applied to transtatlantic co-operation, how the bilateral relationships influence NATO and EU expansion, and what the future holds for transatlantic co-operation.
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Some characteristics of the connection between the economy and higher education - results of empirical research
149-178Views:128In this study we try to introduce some lessons drawn from an empirical research project which was made within the framework of the Gabor Baross Program's project, "Facilitation of Knowledge Transfer for Enhancement of Competitiveness of the North Great Plain Region by the Founding of the Innovation Knowledge Center". This part of the research tries to examine the demand for higher education among the actors in the economy. First the paper shows those results of the research which measured firms' knowledge of the Bologna process, and the main goals of the new form of education, and the knowledge structure and competencies connected to the creation of the individual education levels. Following this the article examines requirements from higher education, and the opportunity for developing the connections between educational institutions and the economy.