David Turnock - Böcker

Since 1898, the former communist countries of Eastern Europe have gained international prominence. The continuing socio-economic transition and the instability evident in areas like the Caucasus and Former Yugoslavia have drawn the western world into uneasy interactions with the region. At the same time, closer commercial and cultural contacts are providing opportunities for rewarding relationships which have now resulted in many of these countries joining the EU.This book provides detailed coverage of the transition from communism to a market economy. Covering the whole range of East Central European and former Soviet Union countries, it charts the diversity within the region, offering in-depth coverage of specific areas as well as a broad view of development across the region. The book is organised into three comprehensive sections: the historical, socio-economic and environmental. The socio-economic section considers the critical issues of restructuring to effect the transition from central planning to a market economy, while the historical material provides an essential context for the constraints and opportunities affecting the region. The environmental section places emphasis on results of environmental neglect inherited from communism as well as looking to the future implications of EU directives on the problems of biodiversity and pollution in the region.

Since 1989 the former communist countries of Eastern Europe have witnessed a profound and dramatic upheaval. The economic coherence of this region, formerly maintained through the adoption of the Soviet system of government, has fractured. In The East European Economy in Context: Communism and Transition, David Turnock examines the transition from communist to free-market economies, both within and between the states of Eastern Europe. As well as containing an informative survey of the impact of communism, The East European Economy in Context provides* Political profiles of individual countries* A clear study of the contrasts between northern and balkan groups* Summaries of regional variations in the transition process* An exploration of the new state structures and resources* Discussion of political stability, inter-ethnic tensions and progress in economic change

The Human Geography of East Central Europe examines the geography of the transition economies that were not formerly part of the Soviet Union: Albania, Bosnia & Hercegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, The Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Yugoslavia and East Germany. There is a thematic treatment beginning with the landscape and historical background, which moves on to the social and economic geography (industry, agriculture and infrastructure) and to issues concerning regional development and environmental protection.

In this new edition, the progress made in the last decade to solve the environmental problems described in the first edition is assessed. The attempts to bring environmental legislation into line with West European norms is also described. Environmental Problems of East-Central Europe looks at air and water pollution, modern farming, water supplies, waste management and landscape protection. These topics are placed within economic, social and political profiles, as spending on a clean environment must be reconciled with welfare spending and the safeguarding of jobs, European Union assistance, civil society and the work of environmental NGOs are also discussed. All of these matters are considered within the context of the wider geographical area and then by each individual country, including the previously communist states lying to the west of the Soviet Union (now with the former federal states of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia broken up into seven different entities) and a review of the former Soviet Union with particular reference to the Baltic States. Environmental Problems in East-Central Europe provides a wealth of up-to-date reference material, with a vast amount of supporting literature on environmental conditions and the functioning of civil society and a map of each country. The environment is being taken seriously by them all, such is the influence of the Rio sustainability agenda in general and the EU environmental 'acquis' in particular. The book reveals that Eastern Europe is not a blighted area, but in some respects has a higher biodiversity than Western Europe. Although there is enormous waste and inefficiency in energy use, people actually consume relatively little and the East therefore has some lessons for the West in terms of managing on the bases of 'fair share' of the earth's resources.

From a widely published expert in the field, this major survey reviews two centuries of modernization and examines the dramatic changes in the economies of Eastern Europe. This is a new and comprehensive overview which incorporates fresh research and recent changes to the region to trace this economic history of Eastern Europe within the wider political and ideological contextUniquely taking the broader historical picture into account, David Turnock brings together the entire scope of the modernization process, from the first phase of modern national development in the Balkans and the impact of imperial systems on the area as a whole, to the feeling of 'unfinished business' at the end of the Second World War. He continues up to the present-day state of transition, evaluating the contrasts in the region between the northern and southern states, domestic division between dynamic and backward areas, and the increasing emphasis on the opening up of frontier regions.Wide in scope and including detailed and informative chronologies, this book will prove an invaluable asset to students of European history and economics.

This is the first book to take a comprehensive view of the historical geography of Scotland since the Union. The period is divided into sections separated by the Napoleonic Wars and the First World War, and each section offers a general view followed by detailed studies giving a balanced coverage of regional and urban-rural criteria, and the economic infrastructure. The book contains a number of original researches and Dr Turnock attempts to set the Scottish experience in a framework of general ideas on modernisation.

After fifteen years of transition in the former communist states of Central and Eastern Europe it has become clear that for a substantial number the objective of reform and restructuring process is a market system in line with membership of the EU. In this study the long term economic transformation of Romania is studied, offering a detailed narrative and thematic account of events from the nineteenth to the twenty-first centuries. From the first steps towards large scale industrialisation begun prior to the First World War, through the accelerated pace set by the communist regime after 1945 and the uncertainty following its subsequent collapse in 1989, the book addresses a wide range of pertinent issues that have shaped Romania's economic development. The study also offers an interpretation of a distinctive phase in the modernisation of post-communist Romania, supported by economic-historical surveys of the proceeding century as a context for recent restructuring on the eve of EU accession. This is linked with trends in the region as a whole so that a broad perspective is maintained throughout the book. By highlighting Romania's position as one of more backward accession states and considering in what ways its experience during transition differs from the more developed states of the region, this study offers a valuable insight into both the history of Romania, and its future prospects. Furthermore it provides a valuable case study that can be compared and contrasted with other countries who are likewise still grappling with the legacy of a centralised economy, and in the process of adopting a more market orientated approach in order to gain EU membership. As such this study will be of interest not only to historians and economists, but anyone with an interest in the expansion of the European Union.

With the achievement of further EU and NATO enlargement, a critical political and economic lens is now focused on East Central Europe and, to a lesser extent, the other former communist states. Economic growth in each transition state - and more broadly the region - pivots around the prospects for foreign direct investment (FDI), with decisions on where foreign investors will locate their projects now vitally important. This book - the first one devoted to a geographical survey concentrating specifically on FDI in the region - brings together a wide range of prominent authors from the US and Europe, including the late Frank Carter, to provide a timely and critical examination of the importance of foreign investment. It presents a detailed analysis of location patterns and their significance for regional development, with particular emphasis given to the important socioeconomic and political consequences of uneven distribution of FDI across the region and its constituent countries. Divided into two parts, the book first deals with general overarching themes and issues before applying these to more specific country case studies. The second part deals with regional studies, focusing broadly on the Western Balkans and Bulgaria, before looking at specific economic sectors in individual countries.

The Romanian Economy in the Twentieth Century (1986) surveys the country’s resources and examines the development of the different sectors of the economy. It considers the economy at the different stages of its development, and shows how the depression of the 1930s hit particularly deep, and how this was followed by the destruction of the Second World War. It analyses the adoption of Soviet-style planning and discusses the various attempts to reform this system, as the country changed into the 1980s.

The Making of Eastern Europe (1988) traces the historical geography of Eastern Europe from earliest times to the present times. It draws on indigenous sources which have not been widely studied in the West to provide a wealth of detail about the development of landscape, settlement patterns, towns, political units and economic behaviour and about their interrelationship. The frequency with which political boundaries and other patterns have changed in this area makes the picture that emerges very complex. The region has never achieved political unity and the author accounts for this in terms of internal political, geographical and cultural division and of the importance of external influences and forces at key historical moments.

After fifteen years of transition in the former communist states of Central and Eastern Europe it has become clear that for a substantial number the objective of reform and restructuring process is a market system in line with membership of the EU. In this study the long term economic transformation of Romania is studied, offering a detailed narrative and thematic account of events from the nineteenth to the twenty-first centuries. From the first steps towards large scale industrialisation begun prior to the First World War, through the accelerated pace set by the communist regime after 1945 and the uncertainty following its subsequent collapse in 1989, the book addresses a wide range of pertinent issues that have shaped Romania's economic development. The study also offers an interpretation of a distinctive phase in the modernisation of post-communist Romania, supported by economic-historical surveys of the proceeding century as a context for recent restructuring on the eve of EU accession. This is linked with trends in the region as a whole so that a broad perspective is maintained throughout the book. By highlighting Romania's position as one of more backward accession states and considering in what ways its experience during transition differs from the more developed states of the region, this study offers a valuable insight into both the history of Romania, and its future prospects. Furthermore it provides a valuable case study that can be compared and contrasted with other countries who are likewise still grappling with the legacy of a centralised economy, and in the process of adopting a more market orientated approach in order to gain EU membership. As such this study will be of interest not only to historians and economists, but anyone with an interest in the expansion of the European Union.

From a widely published expert in the field, this major survey reviews two centuries of modernization and examines the dramatic changes in the economies of Eastern Europe. This is a new and comprehensive overview which incorporates fresh research and recent changes to the region to trace this economic history of Eastern Europe within the wider political and ideological contextUniquely taking the broader historical picture into account, David Turnock brings together the entire scope of the modernization process, from the first phase of modern national development in the Balkans and the impact of imperial systems on the area as a whole, to the feeling of 'unfinished business' at the end of the Second World War. He continues up to the present-day state of transition, evaluating the contrasts in the region between the northern and southern states, domestic division between dynamic and backward areas, and the increasing emphasis on the opening up of frontier regions.Wide in scope and including detailed and informative chronologies, this book will prove an invaluable asset to students of European history and economics.

This book demonstrates a broadly successful transformation process that has been limited by challenging political, economic and social constraints. David Turnock traces the complex issues that have influenced Romania's reform and restructuring programme since the revolution at the end of 1989. The Transition from Communism to the European Union provides an overview of economic change in Romania, and studies in detail the transformation in industry, energy and agriculture, drawing on fieldwork in all parts of the country. The monitoring of the economic press throughout the post-communist period has also yielded much source material. Although the political context is examined at some length, the prime consideration is economic restructuring, involving the establishment of a free market system after decades of government control through central planning. It is made clear that the process is still not complete since global competitiveness remains a major challenge now that many people are beginning to experience a degree of prosperity.The book will be of invaluable interest to students and researchers in the fields of regional economics and post-communism, as well as readers with a general interest in Romania, the Balkans or the EU.

This book focuses on one of the major challenges facing countries in Eastern Europe, namely the creation and maintenance of jobs in the agricultural sector. It argues that future employment will critically depend upon the completion of the privatization process, as well as improved efficiency and market opportunity. Privatization in Rural Eastern Europe prescribes radical restructuring of the East European countryside and examines the future prospects for restitution and privatization from both national and regional perspectives. The economic and political history of rural Eastern Europe is examined in the context of the transition process. The discussion then develops with the extensive use of detailed country case studies which analyse the growth of private economic activity in Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia in a clear and systematic way. The book offers careful consideration of the future of the rural economy and emphasizes the importance of rural diversification and the development of the service sector to create new employment opportunities in rural areas.This book will prove invaluable to academics with an interest in agricultural and transitional economics as well as to businessmen interested in East European agriculture, food processing and farm machinery.

This book looks at the evolution of rural settlement in Scotland from the Mesolithic period through to the improving movement of the 18th and 19th centuries. The main emphasis is on changes in society and technology, but the book also considers how the development of the physical landscape laid the foundation for such changes. The author strikes a balance between general perspectives (including relevant contextual materials such as the political structures) and local studies, with much emphasis on individual sites. Lack of documentation prior to the 10th century places particular importance on the archaeological evidence, but imaginative interpretation of this evidence has led to a major re-evaluation. Ideas emphasizing continuity of settlement and local adaptation are replacing older ’invasionist’ theories emphasizing Celtic war lords and broch-building pirates.