There is growing awareness that the distribution of IMF facilities may not be influenced only by the economic needs of the borrowers. This paper focuses on the fact that the IMF may favour geopolitically important countries in the distribution of IMF loans, differentiating between concessional...

This review examines how India perceives its own rise to power by undertaking a detailed analysis of the Indian National Security Index (NSI) for the period from 2003 to 2008. Like other power formulas, the NSI includes various indicators of power, though it is uniquely Indian in that it...

Die wirtschaftlichen Erschütterungen infolge der COVID-19-Pandemie scheinen die Notwendigkeit einer geografischen Restrukturierung und Rückverlagerung der Produktion zu bestärken, führten sie doch die Verwundbarkeit der globalisierten Produktionsstrukturen vor Augen. Der Beitrag geht den...

Connectivity, especially in the transport sector, has become a ubiquitous issue in the South Caucasus in recent years. Transport connectivity also plays a central role in the European Union's policy towards the region. As part of its Global Gateway Initiative, the EU has made a commitment that...

Various concepts ascribe key roles to emerging non-OECD countries in regional and global politics. This paper highlights how these concepts hint not only at a shift of global power but also at geopolitical regionalization: according to the theory of hegemonic stability, regional powers (a...

The paper initially elucidates the so-called 'problems-first' planning approach, whereby planners are supposed to start any activity based on a precise definition of the problems that need to be solved. As a result, they become more relevant actors to both citizens and politicians, all of whom...

Following the collapse of planning, new small and medium-sized firms rapidly emerged in all transition economies. Using firm level data, we investigate the interaction between the widespread opportunities for new business activities such firms faced and their business environment. The business...