This book brings a completely new dimension into the study of determinants of international trade and foreign direct investment in the Central and Eastern European countries that recently joined the European Union. The main aim of the book is to shed a new light on the role of human development in the open economy context. The book challenges the conventional view that a country s success in the global economy is contingent on restricting expenditures on human development. On the contrary, it is argued that improvements in educational and healthcare systems stimulate international trade and...

Poland s accession to the EU in 2004 created new challenges and opportunities for its transport service firms operating within the framework of the EU Single Market. This book evaluates the market structure in the Polish road, maritime, rail and air transport sectors and compares them to other EU countries, using both sectorial and firm-level data. Despite infrastructural underinvestment in most transport sectors, Poland enjoys a strong competitive position in supplying international road and rail cargo services, but the modernization of transport infrastructure remains a major challenge."