Local Economic Development in the Era of Globalization: The Case of Republic of Macedonia
This paper makes a case that discerning what globalization means for local economic development strategies, structures and policies becomes a formidable governance challenge today. The thesis of this paper rests on the assumption that Local Economic Development (LED) policies as an integral part of the global socio-economic development, continuously occupy a greater importance in the overall economic development in less-developed countries as a way of resisting the forces of globalization. The main goal of this research paper is to find quantitative and qualitative justification for an appropriate governance structure for fostering local economic development. First, we argue that globalization debates engender controversy. One of the views is that it is a process which engages with trade, communication, technology, culture and the flow of capital across national boundaries and another that globalization has led to marginalization and exclusion because of downward pressures on systems of social protection, changing labor market conditions and increasing inequality in wages. Then, drawing on large national surveys of local economic development policies, the paper explores the policy strategies for community development that localities are employing as a response to globalization. Finally, the special focus of this paper has been given to the case of local economic development in the Republic of Macedonia.
German foreign economic policy in the age of globalisation
Enhancing the competitiveness of German firms on foreign markets and preserving the attractiveness of Germany as a business location to foreign investors are the twin objectives of foreign economic policy (FEP) in Germany. Its scope extends far beyond conventional ?border? measures to encompass a broad range of ?domestic? policies, such as competition policy, technology policy, and the policies of regulation and subsidisation, as these policies are increasingly relevant in terms of international competition. German FEP is implemented at the national, supra-national (i.e. European) and international (i.e. WTO, OECD, G7, etc.) level under a number of constraints.1 Internationalisation of domestic economic policies also calls for FEP to be analysed in terms of international systems or institutional competition. The rivalry that occurs is between the immobile factors of production in different countries (including the legal, economic, social and political system), which vie for the only really mobile factor of production, namely capital (including technical knowledge).
Wissenschaft, Forschung und Technologie
„Wissenschaft und Forschung bilden auch im vereinten Deutschland wichtige Grundlagen fur Staat und Gesellschaft. Der notwendigen Erneuerung von Wissenschaft und Forschung unter Erhaltung leistungsfahiger Einrichtungen... dient eine Begutachtung von offentlich getragenen Einrichtungen durch den Wissenschaftsrat...“ Diese zentrale Aussage in Artikel 38 des „Vertrages zwischen der → BRD und der → DDR uber die Herstellung der Einheit Deutschlands“ (EV) bildet die rechtliche Grundlage zum Aufbau einer gesamtdeutschen Forschungslandschaft.