ABSTRACT

This book has sought to explain the changing microeconomic architecture of the wider Europe in terms of the alignment of networks within countries of the east and also between east and west. Our analysis (and the findings of the contributors) has demonstrated the applicability of such an approach and at the same time the limits of such alignments in actual practice. In Chapter 3, the various network types that overlaid one another were described as functional (related to production, technology, finance and demand), resource (related to varieties of labour and capital requirements) and geographical (global, national and local).A first attempt to bring these together, for countries in transition, was depicted in Figures 3.3 and 3.4. Here we link these types in strategic ways, for instance, looking at foreign direct investment (FDI) in its global dimension (geographical), as a resource (tangible and intangible investment), to carry out functions of production, technology and of course finance. In this conclusion we synthesize the linked findings from our sectoral and country case studies and draw out broader conclusions and policy recommendations.