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).
Antitrust Control over “Pure” Export Cartels: The New German Approach
The 1980 amendments to the German Law Against Restraints of Competition imposed new governmental antitrust controls over the activities of “pure” export cartels, which restrain competition only with respect to export markets. The amendments were a reaction to the decision in the Oil Field Pipes case, which had held that cartels not affecting the German market were beyond the jurisdictional reach of the cartel law. The amendments require reporting of “pure” export cartels and subject them to tighter regulation by the federal minister of economics in the hope of controlling abuse in the free world economic system and of encouraging multilateral reductions of anticompetitive export cartel practices. The Webb-Pomerene Act and proposed amendments to that act do not go as far in attempting to control these activities.