Competitiveness, Social Inclusion and Sustainability in a Diverse European Union ThiS is a FM Blank Page Peter Huber • Danusˇe Nerudova´ • Petr Rozmahel Editors

Competitiveness, Social Inclusion and Sustainability in a Diverse European Union Perspectives from Old and New Member States Editors Peter Huber Danusˇe Nerudova´ Austrian Institute of Economic Mendel University Research (WIFO) , Vienna, Austria

Petr Rozmahel , Czech Republic

ISBN 978-3-319-17298-9 ISBN 978-3-319-17299-6 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-17299-6

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015945160

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Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Contents

Introduction ...... 1 Peter Huber, Danusˇe Nerudova´, and Petr Rozmahel

Part I Patterns of Heterogeneity The Competitiveness of the EU Countries: A Multi-dimensional Cluster Analysis Approach ...... 13 Petr Rozmahel, Ladislava Issever Grochova´, and Marek Litzman Long-Run Heterogeneity Across the EU Countries ...... 37 Svatopluk Kapounek Sustainable Development in the EU ...... 47 David Hampel, Ladislava Issever Grochova´, Jitka Janova´, Ladislav Kaba´t, and Lubosˇ Strˇelec

Part II Policies for Competitiveness, Social Inclusion and Sustainability in the EU Current Developments in Corporate Social Responsibility in the EU ... 77 Eva Abramuszkinova´ Pavlı´kova´ and Marcela Basovnı´kova´ The Internationalisation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises as a Path to Competitiveness ...... 99 Lea Kubı´cˇkova´, Marcela Tuzova´, and Martina Toulova´ Key Aspects of Competitiveness: Focus on European Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises ...... 121 Michaela Beranova´, Jakub Tabas, and Jan Vavrˇina Pigouvian Carbon Tax Rate: Can It Help the European Union Achieve Sustainability? ...... 145 Danusˇe Nerudova´ and Marian Dobranschi

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Part III Strategies and Instruments: The Potential for Policy Learning A Lesson for the Contemporary European Periphery from the Transition Process of the CEE Countries ...... 163 Ludeˇk Kouba Geospatial Infrastructure for European Union Sustainable Development ...... 179 David Procha´zka, Jaromı´r Landa, Jana Procha´zkova´, and Martin Klima´nek Reforming Welfare States ...... 191 Peter Huber, Thomas Leoni, and Hans Pitlik Contributors

Marcela Basovnı´kova´ Department of Business and Economics, Mendel Univer- sity in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Michaela Beranova´ Department of Business Economics, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Marian Dobranschi Department of Accounting and Taxes, Mendel University of Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Ladislava Issever Grochova´ Department of Economics, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic David Hampel FBE Mendelu in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Peter Huber WIFO, Vienna, Austria Jitka Janova´ FBE Mendelu in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Ladislav Kaba´t FBE Mendelu in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Svatopluk Kapounek Mendel University, Brno, Czech Republic Martin Klima´nek Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Ludeˇk Kouba Department of Economics, Mendel University, Brno, Czech Republic Lea Kubı´cˇkova´ Department of Marketing and Trade, Mendel University, Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Jaromı´r Landa Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Thomas Leoni WIFO, Wien, Austria Marek Litzman Department of Economics, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic

vii viii Contributors

Danusˇe Nerudova´ Department of Accounting and Taxes, Mendel University of Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Eva Abramuszkinova´ Pavlı´kova´ Department of Law and Social Sciences, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Hans Pitlik WIFO, Wien, Austria David Procha´zka Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Jana Procha´zkova´ Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic Petr Rozmahel Department of Economics, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Lubosˇ Strˇelec FBE Mendelu in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Jakub Tabas Department of Business Economics, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Martina Toulova´ Department of Marketing and Trade, Mendel University, Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Marcela Tuzova´ Department of Marketing and Trade, Mendel University, Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Jan Vavrˇina Department of Business Economics, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic