Karl P. Sauvant

Transborder data flows and the developing countries

Appropriately applied, accurate information is central to decision making, including decisions on all matters related to development. Information is a precondition for identifying alternatives, reducing uncertainty about their implications, and facilitating their implementation. Thus, information is a critical resource.

Describing and Explaining Support for Regional Integration: An Investigation of German Business Elite Attitudes Toward the European Community

Data collected from a survey of corporate managers in the Federal Republic of Germany are used, first, to describe the level and pattern of attachment of this critical elite as regards regional integration in Western Europe and, second, to assess two alternative hypotheses purporting to explain different integration support levels among members of this elite. While not entirely satisfactory, the concept we introduce, “external interest” (defined as an individuals perception of the “effect” and “valence” of regional integration on ones own well-being), is more highly correlated with integration attitude than is its rival, Ingleharts concept of “values,” with respect to both the German managerial data we collected and also the European Community (EC) survey data upon which Ingleharts original analysis was based. The investigation drew attention to operationalizations of the concept “regional integration”; what in fact is being measured and explained when alternative (often analyst-specific) approaches yield conflicting findings.

Multinational Corporations, Managers, and the Development of Regional Identifications in Western Europe

The increasing multinationality of corporations results in more managers having work responsibilities that are internationally oriented. This fact has important implications for regional integration because managers with an international work orientation—versus domestic managers—tend to believe that their well-being is highly dependent upon developments outside their home country and that they stand to benefit from increased integration. This means, in turn, that they tend to be less nationally involved and also express favorable attitudes regarding economic integration in Western Europe. Such managers also disproportionately recommend integrative corporate policies for their company regarding personnel, marketing, and finance questions. Finally, these same international managers exhibit greater career success.

Trade in data services: The international context☆

This article explores the importance of data services within the service sector, and particularly with regard to international trade in services. International economic agreements have traditionally only dealt with trade in manufactured products and ignored the services, which now make up the largest economic sector. Some international organizations, encouraged particularly by the USA, are beginning to confront the problem of defining an open international framework covering foreign direct investment and trade in services. The national interests of different countries are explored, in the light of their existing data resources and their desire to build them up or be able to access foreign databases.

Governmental environment and nongovernmental behavior: Corporate responsiveness to formal integration of the European community

Abstract Although it has been argued that the governmental environment has an important influence on corporate activities, limited systematic and empirical research has been undertaken to study this relationship. This is especially true for regional integration efforts where it is widely assumed that enterprises (and particularly transnational ones) quickly take advantage of new regional opportunities created by government policies. This article examines therefore the question of whether or not integration (more specifically, the European community) affects the behavior of corporate elite members in the Federal Republic of Germany and their enterprises-important nongovernmental actors within the integrating area. First, a theoretical framework is introduced that analytically and phenomenally distinguishes formal governmental and behavioral aspects of integration. Subsequent analysis suggests, among other things, that the strategies of enterprises do not necessarily follow (respond to) governmental integration. The impact of governmental integration on the attitudes and behavior of nongovernmental actors appears to be limited, selective, and uneven in character.