The Evolution of European Manufacturing Industries

The book provides a picture of the increasing significance of Central Europe and especially Poland in global production networks, discussing the underlying economic, social, and political factors. The key question it answers is to what extent the growth of production and exports results in industrial upgrading towards the manufacturing of more sophisticated high value-added products, new technologies, and the development of non-production functions, especially design and advanced service capabilities.

The book shows that Central European manufacturing no longer exhibits the typical features of production activities in the periphery, in particular low density and diversity, low productivity, narrow specialisation in low value-added activities and poor local linkages, hence limited local value creation and value capture. There is still dependence on foreign-controlled enterprises in several sectors and limited product innovation, which remains a major weakness. Further, the book assesses the social consequences of the ongoing development of manufacturing capabilities in Poland and its impact on employment conditions including the quality of jobs and level of wages.

The authors provide insight into relationships between globalisation processes, place-specific attributes, and current economic policies, and as such the book will be of interest to academics, policy makers and other stakeholders interested in both peripheral economies and core countries and representing various international organisations dealing with economic transition and development.