The Consortium

The Center for Social and Economic Research, also known as the CASE Foundation, was registered in September 1991, and initiated its activities in early 1992.

CASE was created by a group of prominent Polish economists who were involved in the process of designing and implementing the economic transformation in Poland in the years 1989-1991. The idea behind its creation was to respond to a shortage of independent and competent research centres that would provide advice and support for transition policies in Poland during transformation. The state research institutes and universities existing at that time were unprepared to face the intellectual challenges of the new economic system brought about by the fall of the Communist system. Thus, the main purpose of establishment of CASE was to develop research in order to support the process of economic and political transformation in Poland and other post-Communist countries, as well as training, publishing, and advisory activities. From the very beginning the founders of CASE were also aware of the fact that the experience of Poland, as the leader of the transformation process, might be useful in other post-Communist countries. That is why CASE is also strongly involved in comparative studies on post-Communist economies and in an advisory role for the governments of the former Soviet republics.

CASE's mission is to support the economic, social and political transformation in Poland and other Central and Eastern European countries. It is CASE's ambition to always be on top of current events and respond to the latest developments in the economy by initiating series of seminars, newspaper articles, press conferences, and new publications. In Poland we try to serve as a 'catalyst' among experts, government, and business in reference to reform consolidation. Our foreign activity is focused on advisory services carried out in transition countries by groups of experienced Polish experts who help in developing economic policy and implementing new reforms in those countries.

Generally, CASE is involved in five types of activities:

Economic research in co-operation with scholars and institutions from Poland and other countries.
Publishing activity dedicated to the dissemination of research results and popularisation of some of the most important contributions to economic theory.
Educational activity in the form of seminars, courses, and conferences;
Advisory activity aimed at governments and non-governmental organisations both in Poland and abroad, and
Scholarly, journalistic, and educational co-operation with similar institutions in Poland and abroad.

Several dozen Polish and international research projects have been carried out so far. About 300 specialists from Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Albania, Austria, Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, the United States, and Poland have worked with CASE in these projects. The projects have been focused on problems of systemic transformation in post-Communist countries and the formulation of strategies for economic development, with special concentration on the areas of macroeconomic policy, privatisation, liberalisation and deregulation of the economy, development of the banking system and financial markets, the fiscal crisis in Central and Eastern Europe, economic reforms in the former Soviet Union, social policy (including pension and health care reform), education, decentralisation of public administration, local development, and small business development.

As CASE's agenda has evolved during its eight years of activity, the Foundation has strengthened its focus on foreign advisory activity. Such activity engages between one third and one half of CASE's human resources and organisational capacity. Our experts have been engaged in research and policy advice in the following transition countries: Russia (1991-1994), Ukraine (since 1993), Kyrgyzstan (since 1993), Kazakhstan (1994-1996), Georgia (since 1996), Belarus (in 1994 and again since 1998), Uzbekistan (1996-1997), Tajikistan (1996-1997), Mongolia (1996), Romania (1997), Bulgaria (1997-2000), Moldova (since 1998), and Yugoslavia (since 2000). The foundation also organises study visits to Poland for government officials, scholars, and journalists from the Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Belarus. As a result of its foreign engagements, CASE has founded daughter organisations in the Newly Independent States of Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, and Georgia.

THE CZECH INSTITUTE OF APPLIED ECONOMICS, LTD

Person in charge: Dr. Jan Mladek (ciae@iol.cz)

The Czech Institute of Applied Economics, Ltd. (referred to here as CIAE, Ltd., or the Czech Institute) was established in 1994 as a limited liability company. From its start it has been mainly involved in policy formulation, advisory work and applied research. The first big project of CIAE, Ltd., was the outline of an industrial policy, prepared for Czech Ministry of Industry. This study helped to change attitudes in this important area.

In 1994-1998 the Czech Institute was involved in the Privatisation Project of the Central European University concerning the development of privatisation in Central and Eastern Europe, including Russia. A very important part of this research consisted in a large project on corporate governance in Central Europe and Russia. This research covered the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Russia. In each country survey research was done in 150 companies. In the Czech Republic this was executed by the Czech Institute's network of interviewers covering the whole country.

CIAE has also co-operated on several projects with the Polish foundation CASE. Within the European Union's Phare ACE Programme joint projects with CASE dealt with the impediments to the creation and growth of small and medium-sized enterprises and enterprise exit processes connected with liquidations and bankruptcies. A number of articles were published presenting the results of this research, covering the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania and Albania.

For the International Center of Japan, Tokyo, CIAE prepared a detailed study entitled "The Electrical and Electronic Industry in the Czech Republic". The Czech Institute also implemented several research projects with Egon Zender International and Transparency International.

Together with the World Bank and the Soros Foundation, the Czech Institute has organised many training seminars in the Czech Republic for Ukrainian and Moldovan civil servants. The seminars have covering many topics, mainly connected with privatisation, restructuring and municipal management.

The Czech Institute is also a publishing house that has issued several books, including translations of economic literature on economic transformation and corporate governance.

The institute organises many public seminars to discuss the economic transformation and related social and political problems. The biggest conference to date was organised with SINDAT, the daughter company of the Czech Saving Bank, and its title was: "The Outcomes of Current Problems of Privatised Czech Firms" (held October 1, 1998, at the Hotel Hilton in Prague).

The institute works on a flexible contractual basis and has the capacity to hire highly qualified people on an ad hoc, project-by-project basis.

The current director of the Czech Institute is Jan Mládek.

HUNGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE, INSTITUTE FOR WORLD ECONOMICS

Person in charge: Dr. Miklós Szanyi (szanyi@econ.core.hu)

The Institute for World Economics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (IWE) has operated in its present form since 1973. Its predecessor was the Afro-Asian Research Centre, founded in 1965.

The institute pursues policy-oriented research activity independent of political influences. Its purpose is to draw conclusions and make recommendations for Hungarian policy-makers, based on its research findings. These concern economic policy and the main lines of economic development, especially in relation to occurrences in Europe - in the European Union (EU) and the Central Eastern European (CEE) region - and to the challenges of global economic system.

The main fields of research at the IWE are:

Comprehensive assessment of the processes occurring in the world economy.
Forecasting the changes and trends in the world economy to be expected in the medium and long term.
Examining the enlarging and deepening processes in the EU, especially in relation to Hungary's accession.
Comparative study of the economic transformation in the Central and Eastern European countries since the change of system.
Monitoring the trend, industries, countries and groups of countries decisive to the Hungarian economy.
Analysis of the trends and the global and regional determinants and factors in international competitiveness.
Examining the international competitiveness of Hungarian economy, exploring ways of increasing it trough global, regional and bilateral co-operation, and devising economic-policy measures to enhance it.

The institute bases its activity on a global network of co-operation. It has comprehensive, institutionalised relations with similar institutes in Hungary, Europe and the rest of the world (especially in Japan, Southeast Asia, Latin America and the United States).

The institute's research work is conducted in decentralised research centres organised on regional and/or functional bases.

To enhance the efficiency of the institute's activities, researchers are each attached to a research centre defined by regional and functional criteria. Ad hoc groups assemble within the institute to perform specific research tasks and projects. These sometimes include outside researchers as well. The institute also accepts research commissions from outside. Some of its derives from funding obtained by competitive applications.

UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID, INSTITUTO COMPLUTENSE DES ESTUDIOS INTERNACIONALES (ICEI)

Person in charge: Prof. Jose Molero

Contact person: Dr. Antonio Fonfría Mesa (afonfria@ccee.ucm.es)

ICEI was founded by decision of the Governing Council of the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) in July 1997, with the purpose of creating a centre for advanced research in the field of International Studies. Since its foundation, the Institute has developed a wide range of interdisciplinary activities, especially in the field of social sciences, according to its geographic and thematic priorities. These activities have been carried out with the support of the International Relations Office of UCM, supported by the Vice-Rectorate of the university.

Within ICEI the responsibility for the project will rest with the Science, Technology and Innovation Department. The activity of this department aims to contribute to a better theoretical and practical understanding of the role of technology and innovation, as well as to a wider dissemination of research results. It is also intended to facilitate better integration of UCM in the international context. The department has been involved in several research projects supported by the 5th Framework Programme and is part of a thematic network on innovation co-ordinated by the Programme for Inter-University Co-operation of the Spanish Agency for International Co-operation.

The Science, Technology and Innovation Department collaborates with the inter-university doctoral programme in Economy, Innovation Management and Technological Policy organised by the three Madrid unversities: Complutense University, Autonoma University and the Polytechnic University. Furthermore, the department carries out consultancy activities for international and national public and private entities.

UNIVERSITY OF MUNICH, OSTEUROPA-INSTITUT

Person in charge: Dr. Volkhart Vincenz (vincentz@lrz.uni-muenchen.de)

The Osteuropa-Institut, located in the Bavarian capital of Munich, is one of the leading research institutes in Germany with a concentration on the post-Communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Although focusing primarily on Russia and the Ukraine in recent years, the institute maintains lively contacts with Polish, Czech and Slovak scholars. The institute's approach is strongly multidisciplinary, with heavy weight placed both on economic and on historical research. Among the economic research projects realised recently by the institute are:

The economic development of Poland 1997/98: Structural adjustments in the domestic economy and foreign trade.
Comparison of foreign trade strategies and export development in Eastern Central Europe, Russia and the Ukraine: Trade with the European Union
Effects of the transformation on Germany's relations with Eastern Europe.
Economic developments in the Czech and Slovak Republics in 1998: Structural and macroeconomic barriers to export-oriented growth.

In addition to its research activities, the Osteuropa-Institut regularly prepares reports for various German public institutions (for example for courts trying cases on refugee status). In 1998, 28 such reports were prepared. Additionally, the institute's members are involved in advisory work. Some of the beneficiaries of this work are European Council and the Ukrainian government. The institute has published a quarterly entitled Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas since 1953. It also publishes the well-known refereed journal Economic Systems. The institute is also very active in publishing books and working papers on historical and economic topics.

STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY, BUSINESS SCHOOL

Person in charge: Dr. Iraj Hashi (I.Hashi@staffs.ac.uk)

Staffordshire University is a large institution of higher education in the United Kingdom, providing undergraduate and postgraduate provisions in almost every discipline. It has over 16000 students, 600 academic staff and 1300 administrative, technical and support staff. The academic staff of the University are attached to its nine Schools. The Business School, which is a partner to the Project, is the largest of the University's schools. It has over 4500 students, about 100 academic and 60 administrative and support staff.

The Business School has been engaged in the provision of high quality education and research for over thirty years. It offers bachelors, masters and doctoral programmes in economics, business and management fields. It also provides professional training programmes for senior and middle level managers of the companies in its wider region. The School has also developed an extensive information technology network to support its education and research activities.

The Business School has established an Innovation Management Centre to promote the use of new technology for small and medium size companies and to develop the application of electronic commerce in local companies (a large project funded by the European Union). The aim of the Centre has been to assist the small and medium size enterprises in the region to speed up the use of new technology and innovative processes designed to improve their competitiveness. The Centre has created an excellent opportunity for the staff to engage in research with the local companies.

The University has also been involved extensively in research, education and training programmes in Central and Eastern Europe (Poland, Czech Republic, Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo and Croatia) through a variety of bilateral and multilateral schemes funded by the British Council, British Academy and the European Commission's programmes. Phare ACE and Phare Tempus programmes. The Business School staff have accumulated a wealth of experience in teaching and research in these countries through their active participation in the EU's Phare ACE and Phare TEMPUS schemes. They have provided consultancy to a variety of organisations in Central and Eastern Europe and published the results of their research in books and scientific journals.

The representative of the University on the Project, Dr. Iraj Hashi, is a Reader in Economics and a senior member of the Business School. He has a long experience of work on Central and Eastern Europe and has developed a wide network of cooperators in government and business in the area. He has been involved in a number of education and research projects and has an extensive list of publications on economies in transition.

EUROPEAN INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC

Person in charge: Prof. Paul J.J. Welfens

The EIIW, a politically independent non-profit organisation, is the first economic research institute in Germany which analyses international economic problems from a genuine European perspective. A major research focus is on the requirements for a stable and efficient international division of labour and technologies, including the integration of Central and Eastern Europe. Another key focus of research concerns telecommunications and the internet ("New Economy"), where Prof. Welfens is partner of Prof. Audretsch (Indiana University) in a project on the New Economy. Two important traits of the EIIW are its orientation towards topics of practical policy relevance and an often comparative research focus.

Apart from self-financed projects the EIIW also undertakes research and consulting for other organisations, such as the project implemented in its first year of existence (1995) for the European Commission and the European Parliament. The EIIW aims to provide a forum for innovative and critical research, and at the same time is an intellectual bridge between the research community, the business sector and economic policymakers. In guest lectures international experts present results from ongoing research and discuss recent developments in their respective countries/regions of origin. The EIIW international workshops and conferences provide a regular opportunity to present the latest research and discuss these findings with colleagues and partners. The results of the conferences and workshops are published in journals, books (so far ten conference proceedings volumes; see www.euroeiiw.de) and other media. Two EIIW books have been award-winning publications, both in the field of telecommunications. The EIIW website is No. 1 in German Academia with respect to European topics, including the Euro (with the number of hits exceeding 20,000 two years after launching the web site).

EIIW has also conducted research for foreign governments and for major US and European companies. EIIW is a local and virtual institute which aims at intellectual leadership in European integration, international economic relations, international organisations, innovation and internet topics and other challenging fields of modern economics.

NICHOLAS COPERNICUS UNIVERSITY IN TORUŃ, THE FACULTY OF ECONOMIC SCIENCES AND MANAGEMENT

Pesron in charge: Prof. Zenon Wiśniewski (zenwis@cc.uni.torun.pl)

The Nicholas Copernicus University was founded in 1945. Nowadays, the academic community of the university comprises 30,000 people. There are about 27,000 students studying in 11 faculties, 34 departments and almost 60 different subject areas. Among the 2,750 employees there are 1,200 academic teachers, of whom over 370 are professors.

The Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management employs 28 professors, 51 lecturers with Ph.D. degrees, and 30 members with M.Sc. degrees in assistant positions. The number of the faculty's students has been growing rapidly throughout the 1990s, and at the moment there are over 2,000 full-time and 3,000 part-time students. The basic faculty degree programmes in economics and in business administration last five years, at the end of which students are awarded the master's degree. This programme prepares candidates for a successful professional business or academic career. The faculty also provides the opportunity to acquire a "licencjat" degree after three years of study, roughly equivalent to a bachelor's degree. For graduates we offer extra courses - including MBA - and Ph.D. study.

The faculty is divided into departments (chairs) responsible both for teaching and research. There are 11 departments: Department of Economics, Department of Econometrics and Statistics, Department of Human Resources Management and Labour Economics, Department of Economic Policy and Regional Development, Department of Financial Management, Department of Accounting, Department of Marketing, Department of Business Management, Department of Management Theory, Department of Investment Decisions and Construction Economics and Department of Agricultural Economics.

In recent years we were strongly supported in completing a new building for the faculty. At the moment the facilities we offer for our students are the best in northern Poland. The faculty library is well organised and equipped with a variety of new, foreign books as well as foreign periodicals.

The faculty staff is relatively young and most members know foreign languages, enabling them to work with foreign literature and participate fully in co-operation with Western universities and business schools. Our faculty has established research co-operation under such EU-Phare international programmes such as Action for Cooperation in the field of Economics (ACE), COPERNICUS, and COST and has also participated in 6 TEMPUS Projects. The latter linked us with nearly 20 universities and institutes in Germany, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Spain.

CENTRE FOR EUROPEAN POLICY STUDIES (CEPS)

Person in charge: Dr. Daniel Gros (daniel.gros@ceps.be)

Situated in the nexus between academia, business and the public sector, CEPS performs a unique role as an independent analyst and critic of European policy. CEPS' core business is the conduct of policy research on European affairs and the broad dissemination of its findings through a regular flow of publications, public events and electronic commentary. It strives to bring new knowledge to the attention of decision-makers and to offer fresh insights into important public policy issues of the day.

Since its founding in 1983, CEPS has acquired a solid reputation for integrity and excellence in research. CEPS has amply demonstrated its ability to anticipate trends and to analyse policy questions well before they become topics of general discussion. Its resourceful research staff is keenly aware of the continuous need to engage the outside world in active debate as both a monitor and a sounding board of their work. This constant interaction is an essential source of strength in CEPS' work and a validation of its relevance.

CEPS is an independent membership-driven organisation with more than 100 corporate members and a large number of central banks, diplomatic missions and international business organisations in its constituency. The members make important contributions to its work. Its heterogeneous membership and funding structure makes CEPS a unique institution and provides fertile ground for developing new ideas.

CEPS has consolidated its work programme into two broad policy areas - Economic Policy and Politics, Institutions and Security. Within these two areas, a multitude of inter-disciplinary and interrelated programmes have been or are being launched.

The work of CEPS within the 'Competitiveness' project will be performed by Daniel Gros, Director, Paul Brenton, Senior Research Fellow, and Wolfgang Hager, Senior Research Fellow.

UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICK

Person in charge: Dr. Mary O'Donnell (Mary.ODonnell@ul.ie)

The University of Limerick is one of the seven Irish Universities recognised under the Universities Act 1997 which sets down the legislative provisions which must be met for an educational institution or college to be established as a university in Ireland. The University of Limerick was established by the State in 1972 as The National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick. Full university powers were granted by legislation enacted by the Irish Parliament in 1989. It is the first new University established since the foundation of the State. The University is located on a riverside campus at the heart of the 600 acre National Technological Park at Plassey, three miles above the ancient city of Limerick. Over 6000 full-time and 3000 part-time students are enrolled at the University. Over seventy different organisations are located on the Park and interact in a variety of ways with the teaching, research and cultural activities of the University. The development of the University has been financed by both the World Bank and the European Investment Bank, and is supported by The University of Limerick Foundation.

The pursuit of excellence in teaching and research to the highest level has been the prime mission of the University from the outset. Implementation of this mission has been constantly conditioned by the belief in relevance and, as new programmes of teaching and research are introduced, particular attention is given to those areas judged to be of strategic benefit to the economic and social development of Ireland.

The University of Limerick, like other new European universities, has sought from its foundation to be relevant to the times and to the nation's needs, and to provide its students with education to the highest levels in the application as well as the acquisition of knowledge. The original Planning Board believed that professional competence is best fostered by a coupling of teaching and research with attention to real-world problems. Today, education and related research continue to be the University's central purpose, with relevance to the practical world as a guiding principle. In pursuing its mission it is recognised that an appropriate balance between the sciences and the humanities is necessary; students avail of the modular credit system to undertake a portion of their studies outside their major field.


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