In Eastern Europe privatization is now a mass phenomenon. The authors propose a model of it by means of an illustration from the example of Poland, which envisages the free provision of shares in formerly public undertakings to employees and consumers, and the provision of corporate finance from foreign intermediaries. One danger that emerges is that of bureaucratization. On the broader canvas, mass privatization implies the reform of the whole system, the creation of a suitable economic infrastructure for a market economy and the institutions of corporate governance. The authors point out the need for a delicate balance between evolution - which may be too slow - and design - which brings the risk of more government involvement than it is able to manage. A chapter originating as a European Bank working paper explores the banking implications of setting up a totally new financial sector with interlocking classes of assets. The economic effects merge into politics as the role of the state is investigated. Teachers and graduate students of public/private sector economies, East European affairs; advisers to bankers or commercial companies with Eastern European interests.

The transition from socialism in Eastern Europe is not an isolated event, but part of a larger shift in world capitalism: the transition from Fordism to flexible (or neoliberal) capitalism. Using a blend of ethnography and economic geography, Elizabeth C. Dunn shows how management technologies like niche marketing, accounting, audit, and standardization make up flexible capitalism's unique form of labor discipline. This new form of management constitutes some workers as self-auditing, self-regulating actors who are disembedded from a social context while defining others as too entwined in social relations and unable to self-manage.Privatizing Poland examines the effects privatization has on workers' self-concepts; how changes in "personhood" relate to economic and political transitions; and how globalization and foreign capital investment affect Eastern Europe's integration into the world economy. Dunn investigates these topics through a study of workers and changing management techniques at the Alima-Gerber factory in Rzeszów, Poland, formerly a state-owned enterprise, which was privatized by the Gerber Products Company of Fremont, Michigan.Alima-Gerber instituted rigid quality control, job evaluation, and training methods, and developed sophisticated distribution techniques. The core principle underlying these goals and strategies, the author finds, is the belief that in order to produce goods for a capitalist market, workers for a capitalist enterprise must also be produced. Working side-by-side with Alima-Gerber employees, Dunn saw firsthand how the new techniques attempted to change not only the organization of production, but also the workers' identities. Her seamless, engaging narrative shows how the employees resisted, redefined, and negotiated work processes for themselves.

Article describes role foreign direct investment (FDI) in long-term development of the former socialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. FDI is the most common vehicle used by foreign investors when entering new markets with their own products and technologies. CEE countries have a large potential need for FDI. Foreign investments can be the driving forces toward achieving the four following goals: combat the lack of foreign capital, accelerate the privatization process of CEE economies, introduce modern technology and management techniques, supply the local markets with quality products. Early optimism about CEE economic reforms and resulting large FDI inflows was based on the expected opening up of new markets with good growth prospects, the existence of a skilled labor force and low labor costs, and relatively low cultural barriers, particularly for West European companies investing in Central Europe. The emergence of a large number of potentially highly profitable new investment opportunities was expected to generate a flow of FDI as well as internal funds to finance new investment. Since then, both sides have reassessed the potential costs and benefits. To date, the volume of FDI into CEE countries has been very small, the technology is in most cases outdated, and the management skills of Western investors are disappointing. From the other side, the costs of doing business for Western companies in the CEE are much higher than they expected and the anticipated benefits have been lower, at least in the short to medium term. Is there a more accurate assessment of the that situation? In this paper, the authors attempt to: present the real growth in FDI from a global perspective; examine the structure of the CEE investment; put forth some basic political recommendations to promote an active strategy and policy towards FDI which the CEE countries can incorporate into the enhancement of their indigenous competitive advantage and capabilities.

A hands-on approach to the privatization process in Eastern Europe, divided into the following categories: - Guidelines for Foreign Purchasers of State Enterprises - A Business Survival Guide for Getting Things Done in Kiev - Critical Challenges of Capital Formation - The Greenfield Approach to Privatization - Vouchers and their Practical Use - Detailed Analysis of the Particulars of the Privatization Procedures in Russia, Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and Hungary. Furthermore, "Privatization in Eastern Europe" includes a list of all privatization laws.

A hands-on approach to the privatization process in Eastern Europe, divided into the following categories: - Guidelines for Foreign Purchasers of State Enterprises - A Business Survival Guide for Getting Things Done in Kiev - Critical Challenges of Capital Formation - The Greenfield Approach to Privatization - Vouchers and their Practical Use - Detailed Analysis of the Particulars of the Privatization Procedures in Russia, Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and Hungary. Furthermore, Privatization in Eastern Europe includes a list of all privatization laws

2011 Updated Reprint. Updated Annually. Poland Privatization Programs and Regulations Handbook