"In the global financial crisis, competitiveness gaps between euro area countries caused additional strain. This book discusses the various dimensions of competitiveness, with a special focus on emerging Central, Eastern and Southeastern European countries. For Europe to proceed with convergence and to resist global competitive pressures, it argues that policies to boost productivity and innovation are vital. With products becoming ever more technically sophisticated and global interconnectedness on a relentless rise, it also demonstrates that quality, customer orientation and participation in global production networks and global value chains are at least as important as relative costs and prices."--Provided by publisher.

Contents:

PART I FRAMING THE DISCUSSION ON THE COMPETITIVENESS CHALLENGE
1. Boosting European Competitiveness
Marek Belka, Ewald Nowotny, Doris Ritzberger-Grünwald and Pawel Samecki

2. Harnessing Foreign Direct Investment to Boost Economic Growth
Beata S. Javorcik

3. Correcting External Imbalances in the European Economy
Doris Hanzl-Weiss and Michael Landesmann

PART II THE VARIOUS DIMENSIONS OF COMPETITIVENESS
4. New Indicators of Competitiveness – The Austrian Perspective
Doris Ritzberger-Grünwald, Maria Silgoner and Klaus Vondra

5. Globalisation and Growth: The Case of China
Linda Yueh

6. Non-price Components of Market Share Gains – Evidence for EU Countries
Konstantins Benkovskis and Julia Wörz

PART III EU STRUCTURAL POLICIES
7. EU Economic Governance: Euro Area Periphery Lessons for Central and Eastern European Countries
Zsolt Darvas

8. EU Structural Policies Today: Missing Piece of the Growth Puzzle, or Wishful Thinking?
Brian Pinto

9. EU Structural Policies and Euro Adoption in CEE Countries
Anna Kosior and Michal Rubaszek

PART IV LABOUR MARKET AND PRODUCTIVITY DEVELOPMENTS
10. Labour Market Integration and Associated Issues: Kipling is Wrong
Peter Sinclair

11. Do Jobs Created in CEE Countries Result in Higher Productivity?
Michal Gradzewicz

12. Productivity and Competitiveness in CESEE Countries: A Look at the Key Structural Drivers
Dan Andrews and Alain de Serres

PART V CESEE’S CONTRIBUTION TO GROWTH IN THE EURO AREA AND EUROPE
13. Convergence of ‘New’ EU Member States: Past, Present and Future
Bas B. Bakker and Krzysztof Krogulski

14. EU and CEE: Productivity and Convergence
Boris Vujcic

15. Peering into the Crystal Ball: Can the CESEE Countries be an Engine of Growth for the EU?
Iain Begg

Index