East German Productivity and the Transition to the Market Economy

East German Productivity and the Transition to the Market Economy PDF Author: D. M. W. N. Hitchens
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 152

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Book Description
This book describes the first application to a former communist bloc economy of the technique of detailed matched plant comparisons. It is of special note that the factory visits to East German plants occurred close to the start of the German monetary and economic union. As such, the authors have been able to elucidate both the performance of firms under the previous planning system and the beginnings of the transition to the market economy. Careful benchmark measures of the level of productivity in east German plants compared to counterparts in West Germany are provided (in June 1990 and June 1991). Rates of growth of output per head are indicated and sources of previous and likely future improvements reviewed. The competitive strengths and weaknesses of the firms are discussed. Attention is also given to such factors as product standards, the impact of environmental regulation, switches from Eastern European to Western markets and the suitability of premises. Firms which are judged as likely to survive the transition to the market economy are identified and further examined. The explanations of the East German firms' comparatively low level of productivity are considered; particularly the role of physical and human capital. Various aspects of the machine stock are described; e.g. comparative age, level of technology, country of origin, balance, appropriateness, viability (given various levels of labour costs) and ease of maintenance. The number and quality of skilled persons at various levels of hierarchy are measured. The strategies adopted to supplement East German skills with West German know-how are described. Implications for industrial and regional policy in Germany are drawn. There is also an attempt to apply lessons to other low productivity economies in Eastern Europe and in the EC (particular attention is given in this respect to the case of Northern Ireland).

East German Productivity and the Transition to the Market Economy

East German Productivity and the Transition to the Market Economy PDF Author: D. M. W. N. Hitchens
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 152

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Book Description
This book describes the first application to a former communist bloc economy of the technique of detailed matched plant comparisons. It is of special note that the factory visits to East German plants occurred close to the start of the German monetary and economic union. As such, the authors have been able to elucidate both the performance of firms under the previous planning system and the beginnings of the transition to the market economy. Careful benchmark measures of the level of productivity in east German plants compared to counterparts in West Germany are provided (in June 1990 and June 1991). Rates of growth of output per head are indicated and sources of previous and likely future improvements reviewed. The competitive strengths and weaknesses of the firms are discussed. Attention is also given to such factors as product standards, the impact of environmental regulation, switches from Eastern European to Western markets and the suitability of premises. Firms which are judged as likely to survive the transition to the market economy are identified and further examined. The explanations of the East German firms' comparatively low level of productivity are considered; particularly the role of physical and human capital. Various aspects of the machine stock are described; e.g. comparative age, level of technology, country of origin, balance, appropriateness, viability (given various levels of labour costs) and ease of maintenance. The number and quality of skilled persons at various levels of hierarchy are measured. The strategies adopted to supplement East German skills with West German know-how are described. Implications for industrial and regional policy in Germany are drawn. There is also an attempt to apply lessons to other low productivity economies in Eastern Europe and in the EC (particular attention is given in this respect to the case of Northern Ireland).

The Politics of Economic Decline in East Germany, 1945-1989

The Politics of Economic Decline in East Germany, 1945-1989 PDF Author: Jeffrey Kopstein
Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Press
ISBN: 0807862592
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 259

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Book Description
Jeffrey Kopstein offers the first comprehensive study of East German economic policy over the course of the state's forty-year history. Analyzing both the making of economic policy at the national level and the implementation of specific policies on the shop floor, he provides new and essential background to the revolution of 1989. In particular, he shows how decisions made at critical junctures in East Germany's history led to a pattern of economic decline and worker dissatisfaction that contributed to eventual political collapse. East Germany was generally considered to have the most successful economy in the Eastern Bloc, but Kopstein explores what prevented the country's leaders from responding effectively to pressing economic problems. He depicts a regime caught between the demands of a disaffected working class whose support was crucial to continued political stability, an intractable bureaucracy, an intolerant but surprisingly weak Soviet patron state, and a harsh international economic climate. Rather than pushing for genuine economic change, the East German Communist Party retreated into what Kopstein calls a 'campaign economy' in which an endless series of production campaigns was used to squeeze greater output from an inherently inefficient economic system. Originally published in 1996. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.

Income, Inequality, and Poverty During the Transition from Planned to Market Economy

Income, Inequality, and Poverty During the Transition from Planned to Market Economy PDF Author: Branko Milanovi?
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 9780821339947
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
World Bank Technical Paper No. 394. Joint Forest Management (JFM) has emerged as an important intervention in the management of Indias forest resources. This report sets out an analytical method for examining the costs and benefits of JFM arrangements. Two pilot case studies in which the method was used demonstrate interesting outcomes regarding incentives for various groups to participate. The main objective of this study is to develop a better understanding of the incentives for communities to participate in JFM.

East German Productivity and the Transition to the Market Economy

East German Productivity and the Transition to the Market Economy PDF Author: D. M. W. N. Hitchins
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 126

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Book Description


International Productivity Monitor

International Productivity Monitor PDF Author: OECD
Publisher: OECD Publishing
ISBN: 9264279172
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 222

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Book Description
The 32nd issue of the International Productivity Monitor is a special issue produced in collaboration with the OECD. All articles published in this issue were selected from papers presented at the First Annual Conference of the OECD Global Forum on Productivity held in Lisbon, Portugal, July ...

Cold War Germany, the Third World, and the Global Humanitarian Regime

Cold War Germany, the Third World, and the Global Humanitarian Regime PDF Author: Young-sun Hong
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107095573
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 445

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Book Description
This book examines global humanitarian efforts involving the two German states and Third World liberation movements during the Cold War.

Economic Transition in Hungary and East Germany

Economic Transition in Hungary and East Germany PDF Author: J. Stephan
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0230596584
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 302

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Book Description
What factors determine the success of economic transition, development and growth? Examining the contrast between East German shock-therapy and Hungary's gradualism, the book generates a set of generalisable conditions for economic development which imply some degree of state intervention and strategy. A stability-oriented incomes policy and a carefully managed integration strategy can enable sustainable export surpluses, a competitive currency and macroeconomic stability, whilst providing sufficient room for economic restructuring, structural transformation and technological catch-up. The dangers of premature integration are examined.

The S & L Insurance Mess

The S & L Insurance Mess PDF Author: Edward J. Kane
Publisher: University Press of America
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
Looks at the insurance crisis in the thrift industry, explains how federal regulations helped create the problems, and suggets guidelines for reform.

Adjusting to Globalization

Adjusting to Globalization PDF Author: David Greenaway
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
ISBN: 9781405131698
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 176

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Book Description
This volume investigates the ways in which firms and workers are adjusting to globalization. A collection of cutting-edge essays investigating the ways in which firms and workers are adjusting to globalization. Written by leading researchers in the field. Covers such issues as: outsourcing; the productivity effects of entry to export markets; job losses and wage insurance; and the protection of intellectual property. Presents original research on adjusting to globalization. Provides important insights into the microeconomics effects of globalization. Highlights key issues for policy makers.

Economics of Transition

Economics of Transition PDF Author: Hüsnü Kizilylli
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429812450
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 638

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Book Description
First published in 1998, this volume responded to the recent fall of the Soviet Union and looks at the process of transitioning away from Socialist economies, including case studies in the former Soviet Union, Poland, Hungary, China, East Germany and other Socialist countries. Taking the view that economic and political indicators suggest a lack of success in the post-Soviet transformation process, Kızılyallı argues that they have been unsuccessful due to poor planning. Kızılyallı notes an abandonment of the previous system and an ineffective implementation of market capitalism which have led to these negative outcomes. The new method developed herein provides a partial solution through estimating the correct exchange rate based on world prices and under conditions of macroeconomic equilibrium, while also allowing planning for sequencing market reforms. Reform issues are then discussed, followed by the reform experiences of Poland, Hungary, East Germany, China and the former Soviet Union. Lastly, developments in macroeconomic theory are reviewed in light of these case studies. Kızılyallı concludes that both neoclassical and new Keynesian theories fail to provide an economically meaningful framework for analysis of current economic and employment problems, nor for their cure.