ABSTRACT
Any evaluation encounters major problems because of the diversity, vagueness and subjectivity of the benefits of joint European aerospace programmes. Nations have different objective functions containing different arguments, valuations and trade-offs. One country might place a high valuation on employment whilst another might prefer balance of payments or technology benefits. This chapter examines alternative criteria for assessing joint European aerospace projects. It presents the views of American and European firms on the general benefits and costs of collaboration, without attempting to determine whether the policy is regarded as worthwhile. The chapter considers the results of joint projects in terms of development time-scales, exports and costs in relation to the United States of America. It analyses the characteristics of any successful joint ventures and the performance in the context of the European political market place. The chapter also presents some examples, which includes two joint civil aircraft so as to increase the data set for collaborative programmes.
