Central and Eastern Europe’s dependency on Russian gas: What changed between 2004 and 2019?
CSABA WEINER – PÉTER KOTEK – BORBÁLA TAKÁCSNÉ TÓTH
The Eastern enlargements of the EU increased the bloc’s dependency on Russian gas and contributed to a more cautious attitude towards these supplies. This paper assesses the Russian gas dependency of the 11 Central and East European new member states according to the ambition and execution of their national energy strategies. Two composite indicators of gas dependency – one for supply and one for demand – were used for this evaluation, beginning with the 2004 EU enlargement and ending in 2019, the last available full year before two large crises: the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s war against Ukraine. The main conclusions are that the new member states mostly reduced their gas dependency through supply-side measures, while the old member states increased dependency through some combination of worsening supply- or demand-side situation. New gas infrastructure capacity has contributed to the supply and route diversification of new member states from Russia, but reducing gas demand did not receive much attention until Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) codes: O13, P28, Q41.
The catching-up of the Hungarian economy and its loss of position in the European Union
GÁBOR GULÁCSI – ÁDÁM KERÉNYI
Hungary has been a member of the European Union for 20 years, since 2004. Over the last 20 years, Hungary’s economic development has come significantly closer to the EU27 average, yet its position has deteriorated compared to most of the peer countries that joined the EU during the Eastern enlargement, falling from 3rd to 7th place. This paper discusses first the EU drivers of Hungary’s economic development, the impact of the single market and the transfers received from the EU. Second, it seeks the explanation for Hungary’s position loss relative to most of its peer countries. As the main causes of the position loss, it identifies the coalition governance leading to the dual (government and household) currency debt trap in the pre-2010 period and the market stifling effect of the authoritarian political regime established in the post-2010 period.
Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) codes: F15, F36, O47, O52, P20, P27.
BULLETIN
Silk roads in the Global South: “connectivity” and “bloc-formation”
Silk roads in the Global South: “connectivity” and “bloc-formation”
LÁSZLÓ LÁNG
According to Foroohar (2022), “[g]lobalisation as the dominant economic order will soon be replaced by regionalisation”. If this is true, then regionalisation, the process whereby countries in a geographical area seek to advance their national interests through multilateral dialogue and joint action, is set to revive in the developing world, or as it is called today, the Global South. The development of intra-regional transport, energy and communication networks is a prerequisite for existing regional cooperation groups to emerge from their moribund state. This very infrastructure development is offered by China’s ambitious BRI programme, under the banner of “connectivity”. This paper will examine at several levels whether this rare constellation exists, in which structural shifts in the world system and the self-interested grand project of China, the second most powerful global power, can reinforce each other to lift cooperating groups of countries and regions, large and small, out of the vicious circle of backwardness and underdevelopment. The answer in short: this constellation (again) does not exist. The sub-regions of the Global South are unlikely to re-unite on China’s “new silk roads” and boost their joint development with win-win solutions. Further evidence worth exploring is that the self-interests of the BRI may coincide with some of the languid transcontinental networking efforts, especially in Africa and Central Asia.
Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) codes: F02, F21, F55.
DISCUSSION PAPER
The publication strategy of the Hungarian academic community in business and economics: Differences and contradictions in the fields of economics and business and management
ZOLTÁN KRAJCSÁK – PÉTER SASVÁRI – GYULA BAKACSI
This scientometrics-focused study analyzes the publication performance of Hungarian researchers in the fields of Business, Management and Accounting (BMA) and Economics, Econometric and Finance (EEF) based on SciVal data and found that publication strategies are often mixed by merging these fields. This is partly due to the “common” journal list of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS), and partly to the continuation of past practices (traditions). Publication patterns do not perfectly reflect the affiliation to the two largest scientific committees of Section IX (Economic and Legal Sciences) of HAS. This concerns those who are members of the Public Body of HAS, since about one third of the best researchers involved in these two disciplines have not joined this academic network yet. Based on the results, a clearer separation between the subject areas at the level of doctoral committees of HAS would be welcome, as would clearer publication strategies for academics. The recognition of the value of being members in the public body of HAS would also be useful for the young colleagues. Using the framework of the forum provided by Külgazdaság, this report could also help to promote professional and strategic dialogue among domestic social scientists.
Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) codes: A10, M0.