Publications of Lucia Kurekova

Success Against All Odds? Determinants of Sectoral Rise and Decline

This article investigates the development over time of the automotive and textile industries post-1989 in four Central European countries in order to identify the key reasons behind sectoral growth or decline. The analysis demonstrates a divergent pattern of sectoral development, one that is in contrast to the perceived initial endowments of the countries and the structural positions of the sectors at the outset of the transition. Comparing the two sectors and individual success stories within them against a broader background of sectoral success and failure allows us to understand and isolate factors that lie behind the high status of the automotive sector by not only regional but also international standards. The article identifies three crucial factors that can be attributed to these outcomes: presence of foreign capital in the sector, active government support, and cooperative strategies among the firms in the sector and among the firms and other institutions in the countries.

“The role of state in development of socioeconomic models in Hungary and Slovakia: the case of industrial policy

This contribution systematically evaluates patterns of change in socio-economic models in Hungary and Slovakia, highlighting the role of the state in the process. While the countries share general similarities in their type of capitalism, a closer overview of institutional domains reveals that important differences exist in the character of change and the role of key actors. In terms of the overall reform paths, Slovakia, especially since the late 1990s, is more coherent and overwhelmingly in a liberal direction, while Hungary appears less radical and encompasses a combination of liberal elements and active state involvement. In this contribution we focus on industrial policy and find that Hungary adopted more comprehensive and vertical industrial support geared towards upgrading, foreign-capital openness throughout the economy, and support of the domestic small and medium enterprise sector. Slovakia developed its industry more through regulation than a direct intervention, opened to foreign capital only in late 1990s, and since then eschewed any attempt to nurture domestic capital.