The financial crisis of 2008–2009 has become the most serious challenge
for the Central and Eastern European countries after they had completed the process of
post-socialist transformation and became EU members.
The negative impacts of the recession on their most important international partners
multiplied their own tensions and imbalances which – in some cases – have led to a
dramatic decline of the GDP and serious cuts in public spending and personal incomes.The
situation within the group is far from uniform. On the one hand we have Poland – the
only country in Europe that has not gone through a recession, and on the other hand there
are the Baltic Republics that have lost some one fifth of their output. Also, the
anti-crisis policies implemented in particular countries were strongly differentiated.
Keeping in mind all these differences one may say that the New Member States, on the
whole, have confronted the challenges of the crisis bravely and effectively due to their
still great adaptability and flexibility of both the political elites and societies. They
thus may become an example for some other EU Member States which are currently struggling
with economic difficulties and strong social protests against necessary but harsh economic
measures. This book contains papers presented at a World Bank-sponsored seminar that was
held in Warsaw in September 2009, when the crisis still was in full swing. The authors
reflect on the general dimensions of the crisis and also report on situations in
particular Central and Eastern European countries, and in the group as a whole.
The Authors: John Bachtler, Jirżi Blażek, Jan Buczek, Donatas Burneika,
Daniela-Luminita Constantin, Sara Davies, Karoly Fazekas,Indermit S. Gill, Chor-ching Goh,
Grzegorz Gorzelak, Zizi Goschin, Moritz Lennert, Tatjana Muravska, Witold M. Orłowski,
Eva Ozsvald, Bryce Quillin, Garri Raagmaa, Krzysztof Rybiński, Julia Spiridonova, Peter
Wostner, Piotr Żuber.
INTRODUCTION
WITOLD M. ORLOWSKI
The Nature of the Current Crisis
MORITZ LENNERT
The Final Decline of Western European Industries? A Reflection Note on Structural
Explanations of the Geography of the Crisis in Western Europe
INDERMIT S. GILL AND BRYCE QUILLIN
Economic Update: The Crisis Hits Home in Emerging Europe
JULIA SPIRIDONOVA
The Geography of the Financial Crisis and Policy Response in Bulgaria
Mi BLAZEK
The Regional Impacts of the Global Financial and Economic Crisis in the Czech
Republic
GARRI RAAGMAA
Regional Impacts of the Global Financial and Economic Crisis in Estonia
KAROLY FAZEKAS AND EVA OZSVALD
The Geography of the 2008-2009 Crisis - the Case of Hungary
TATJANA MURAVSKA
The Latvian Economy at the Crossroads: Regional Dynamics
DONATAS BURNEIKA
Main Trends of Development and Regional Peculiarities in the Lithuanian Economy in
the Context of the Recent Economic Recession
GRZEGORZ GORZELAK
The (non-existing?) Polish Crisis
PlOTR ŻUBER
Poland. The Crisis and the Policy Response in the Area of Cohesion Policy
ZIZI GOSCHIN AND DANIELA-LUMINITA CONSTANTIN
The Geography of the Financial Crisis and the Policy Response in Romania
JAN BUCEK
The Financial and Economic Crisis in Slovakia - its Spatial Aspects and Policy
Responses
PETER WOSTNER
The Crisis, Slovenia and its Regions
JOHN BACHTLER AND SARA DAVIES
The Geography of the Crisis in Western Europe: National and Regional Impacts and
Policy Responses
GRZEGORZ GORZELAK
The Financial Crisis in Central and Eastern Europe
JIRI BLAZEK
Regional Unemployment Impacts of the Global Financial Crisis in the New Member
States of the EU
KRZYSZTOF RYBINSKI
Blind Europe After the Crisis? Wrong Diagnosis, Wrong Treatment, Bad Outcomes
INDERMIT S. GILL AND CHOR-CHING GOH
Concluding Remarks: Place and Prosperity
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
292 pages, Paperback