This study was commissioned by the European Commission, Directorate General "Enterprise and Industry" and was completed at the end of 2005. The objective was to investigate the impact of the accession of new member states on the intra-European division of labour and on global competitiveness in...

When science could not provide a solution to transaction problems in the British wire industry c.1880, market groups had to negotiate a business solution. This involved converging towards a 'one-size-fits-all' standard: a process requiring compromises and cooperation between competitive firms,...