This book brings together the work of researchers in Eastern and Western Europe, who analyze competitiveness, social exclusion and sustainability from a range of perspectives. It examines the key challenges faced by the EU in its efforts to establish a socially inclusive and greener path to growth and develops policy recommendations to simultaneously achieve the EU 2020 agenda's long-term goals and address the current economic crisis in Europe.
Introduction (Huber, Nerudova, Rozmahel).- Patterns of Heterogeneity: The Competitiveness of the EU Countries: Multi-dimensional Cluster Analysis Approach (Rozmahel, Issever Grochova, Litzman).- Long-Run Heterogeneity Across the EU Countries (Kapounek).- Sustainable Development in the EU (Hampel, Issever Grochova, Janova, Kabat, Strelec).- Policies for Competitiveness, Social Inclusion and Sustainability in the EU: Current Developments in Corporate Social Responsibility in the EU (Abramuszkinova-Pavlikova, Basovnikova).- The Internationalisation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises as a Path to Competitiveness (Kubickova, Tuzova, Toulova).- Key Aspects of Competitiveness: Focus on European Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (Beranova, Tabas, Vavrina).- Pigouvian Carbon Tax Rate: Can It Help the European Union Achieve Sustainability? (Nerudova, Dobranschi).- Strategies and Instruments - The Potential for Policy Learning: A Lesson for the Contemporary European Periphery from the Transition Process of the CEE Countries (Kouba).- Geospatial Infrastructure for European Union Sustainable Development. (Prochazka, Landa, Prochazkova, Klimanek).- Reforming Welfare States (Huber, Leoni, Pitlik).