Grzegorz Micek

Upgrading Local Economies in Central and Eastern Europe? The Role of Business Service Foreign Direct Investment in the Knowledge Economy

This article introduces the main themes of the special issue on the role of business service foreign investment in Central and Eastern Europe and its propensity to upgrade regions and localities. The debate is firmly set in the context of an increasing emphasis on the knowledge economy. We point to conceptual and data problems which make it difficult to accurately gauge quantitative and qualitative trends. A connection is made between the drivers of offshoring and the potential benefits for localities. The importance of linking research findings to policy issues is underlined.

The Spatial Evolution of the Polish Biotech Industry: A Path-Dependent Process?

Abstract In Poland, similarly to other Central and Eastern European countries, the development of the biotech industry dates back to the late 1980s, when the first private companies were established. The political and economic transformation of 1989 enabled mass development of private enterprises, but over the course of 20 years of development, only a couple of dozens biotech firms have emerged in Poland. The spatial evolution of the industry shows a strong concentration in Polands six largest urban centres, which are characterized by the best scientific base, access to financial capital, and a well-developed local entrepreneurial culture. Given that all biotech clusters are also important centres of the pharmaceutical industry, despite the fact that there are no strong direct relationships between Polands biotech and pharmaceutical companies, the authors of this paper put forward the thesis that the institutional environment of the pharmaceutical sector also affects the development of the biotech industry.

Labour flows in the biotech sector in Poland

Based on an analysis of personnel flows (managerial and employee ), the authors show that knowledge flows in the biotech sector in Poland are strongly concentrated in space. With respect to managerial intra-metropolitan flows, Warszawa has a similar positi

Problematyka funkcjonowania firm informatycznych w ujęciu przestrzennym

Wedlug raportu koncowego ze spotkania przedstawicieli waznych gremiow ponadnarodowych (OECD, Banku Światowego, EBOiR oraz EBI), strategia budowy gospodarki opartej na wiedzy musi opierac sie na czterech filarach. Jednym z nich powinna byc „budowa dynamicznej infrastruktury informacyjnej oraz konkurencyjnego i innowacyjnego sektora informacyjnego w gospodarce, prowadzącego do powstania roznorodnych efektywnych i konkurencyjnych uslug w dziedzinie informacji i komunikacji” (Budowanie... 2003, s. 11)....

The Role of Institutional Context in the Development of the SME Biotech Sector in Poland

Whilst Poland is argued to represent one of the largest and most entrepreneurial economies in CE with huge potential for development of the SME biotech industry, this sector remains relatively underdeveloped. In this paper, we explore reasons for this apparent anomaly, focusing on the interrelationships between institutional context and entrepreneurial behaviour. We adopt Smallbone and Welter’s (2009a, b) typology (Welter, Smallbone, 2011) of entrepreneurial behaviour in constructing a case study of the biotech SME industry in Poland, concluding that the sector faces particular institutional challenges which entrepreneurs react to in a variety of ways. We conclude that Poland presents serious obstacles to a knowledge-intensive sector such as biotech.

Large Dominant Enterprises Versus Development of Rural Mountainous Areas: The Case of the Polish Carpathian Communes

This chapter focuses on selected aspects of local impact of dominant enterprises in nonmetropolitan rural areas in the Polish Carpathian Mountains (Carpathians). It has been shown that companies localized in the Carpathians and possessing a dominant share in local labor markets do not possess such positions in the sphere of their local impact. It has also been argued that Carpathian communes where large enterprises are present differ significantly from each other from the point of view of their levels of development. The research has confirmed that dominant enterprises do not exert a significant local impact, as they are focused on taking advantage of a cheap, local labor force. The influence of a large company depends on the specifics of its activity and the features of the community.