This title was first published in 2003. Since 1990, Central and Eastern European countries have experienced increased economic integration with the European Union. The spatial implications of this process have been little investigated so far. Have patterns of regional specialization and industrial concentration changed during the 1990s? How does regional specialization relate to economic performance? How has access to Western markets affected the regional wage structure? What types of regions are winners and what types of regions are losers? This book poses and answers such policy relevant questions. It is organized into three parts. The first introduces the main features of economic integration and transition processes in Central and Eastern Europe and discusses the theoretical and methodological framework of the research. The second part examines the cases of five countries: Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Romania and Slovenia, and the final part includes three comparative analyses which explain the underlying factors that determine the changing patterns of location of manufacturing activity, the adjustment pattern of regional wages and adaptation processes in border regions in the five countries.

Rising densities of human settlements, migration and transport to reduce distances to market, and specialization and trade facilitated by fewer international divisions are central to economic development. The transformations along these three dimensions density, distance, and division are most noticeable in North America, Western Europe, and Japan, but countries in Asia and Eastern Europe are changing in ways similar in scope and speed. 'World Development Report 2009: Reshaping Economic Geography' concludes that these spatial transformations are essential, and should be encouraged. The conclusion is not without controversy. Slum-dwellers now number a billion, but the rush to cities continues. Globalization is believed to benefit many, but not the billion people living in lagging areas of developing nations. High poverty and mortality persist among the world's 'bottom billion', while others grow wealthier and live longer lives. Concern for these three billion often comes with the prescription that growth must be made spatially balanced. The WDR has a different message: economic growth is seldom balanced, and efforts to spread it out prematurely will jeopardize progress. The Report: documents how production becomes more concentrated spatially as economies grow. proposes economic integration as the principle for promoting successful spatial transformations. revisits the debates on urbanization, territorial development, and regional integration and shows how today's developers can reshape economic geography.

Research on the spatial aspects of economic activity has flourished over the past decade due to the emergence of new theory, new data, and an intense interest on the part of policymakers, especially in Europe but increasingly in North America and elsewhere as well. However, these efforts--collectively known as the "new economic geography"--have devoted little attention to the policy implications of the new theory. Economic Geography and Public Policy fills the gap by illustrating many new policy insights economic geography models can offer to the realm of theoretical policy analysis. Focusing primarily on trade policy, tax policy, and regional policy, Richard Baldwin and coauthors show how these models can be used to make sense of real-world situations. The book not only provides much fresh analysis but also synthesizes insights from the existing literature. The authors begin by presenting and analyzing the widest range of new economic geography models to date. From there they proceed to examine previously unaddressed welfare and policy issues including, in separate sections, trade policy (unilateral, reciprocal, and preferential), tax policy (agglomeration with taxes and public goods, tax competition and agglomeration), and regional policy (infrastructure policies and the political economy of regional subsidies). A well-organized, engaging narrative that progresses smoothly from fundamentals to more complex material, Economic Geography and Public Policy is essential reading for graduate students, researchers, and policymakers seeking new approaches to spatial policy issues.

As part of its EU strategy, the Swiss government commissioned several research projects covering the most important aspects of economic integration. Given the interesting results and the wealth of methods used in these studies we decided to organize a conference on the topic of 'The Economic Impact of EU Membership on Entrants: New Methods and Issues". The idea was to use the work on Switzerland as a case study for discussing modern approaches on how to assess the economic effects of joining an integration zone. This seemed to us to be a topic of considerable interest for the rising number of prospective EU-member countries. The response was very favourable with many eminent scholars agreeing to contribute. The conference took place in Lausanne, Switzerland in October 1999 and the papers submitted together with the discussions are published in this volume. We would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs and to thank the University of Lausanne for providing the venue facilities for the conference. Many persons helped in the preparation of the conference and this volume but we would like to especially mention Marc Surchat who provided substantial input for the conference and Walter Brodmann who very efficiently reviewed and finalized the manuscript. The Editors RICHARD E. BALDWIN AND A YMO BRUNETTI THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF EU MEMBERSHIP ON ENTRANTS: NEW METHODS AND ISSUES INTRODUCTION What a transformation Europe has witnessed in the past 15 years.

By the end of this century, 9 out of 10 Europeans will live in an urban area. But what kind of city will they call home? You'll find all the answers in CITY, TRANSFORMED, the new essay series from the European Investment Bank. This panoramic first essay in the series lays out a great sweeping history of European cities over the last fifty years—and showcases new directions being taken by some of our most innovative cities. Urban experts Greg Clark, Tim Moonen, and Jake Nunley based at University College London take a definitive look at how Europe's cities transformed from post-industrial decline to thriving metropolises that are as prosperous and liveable as anywhere on Earth.

"The author analyzes regional labor market disparities in transition by presenting some data and summarizing existing literature. He finds that large and persistent regional labor market disparities developed in virtually all transition countries and that there is some evidence of polarization. Differences in starting conditions and market access seem to be the major reasons for regional divergence in transition. Furthermore, regional wages are only slightly more flexible than in many European Union labor markets, interregional migration is low, and capital seems to move toward high wage and low unemployment urban centers rather than to the most backward regions. Policy should thus take a long-run perspective on the existing regional disparities, focus on removing barriers to mobility, review existing institutions for implementing regional policy, and aim at a close coordination of regional and labor market policy instruments. "--World Bank web site.

The annual Global Competitiveness Report is widely recognized as the world's leading cross-country comparison of data and information relating to economic competitiveness and growth. Over the years, the Report has become the most authoritative and comprehensive assessment of the comparative strengths and weaknesses of national economies throughout the world. The World Economic Forum continues its tradition of excellence with The Global Competitiveness Report 2002-2003, which provides the most updated and recent data, rankings and analysis of 75 industrialized and emerging economies and the latest thinking and research from prominent academics and international institution leaders on global competitiveness. This year's report begins by presenting the widely quoted global competitive index that really comprises two indices-one for growth and one for productivity. It then provides global and regional analyses, with examinations of the competitive landscapes of Africa., Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and Latin America. Essays on a wide range of special topics follow, including national innovative capacity, governance, foreign direct investment, and trade performance. The Report concludes with detailed country profiles, data presentation and an exhaustive survey of senior business executives that touches on business conditions, infrastructure, the character of the regulatory regime, the quality of government, organized labor, corruption and tax evasion. The Global Competitiveness Report 2002-2003 provides essential information for business leaders, government decision-makers and for academics to examine the critical challenges facing a multitude of the world's economies.