The main theme is how local economic cultures and economic networks in the South and in Eastern Europe are put under strain by global deregulation and how traditional and not so traditional but locally rooted structures of economic life adjust to deregulation or fail to do so. All the contributions, written by different authors, combine a 'flexible specialization in clusters' approach with original empirical data. An Introduction and a concluding chapter by the editors brings out the common issues and conclusions.

Analyses how local economic cultures in South and Eastern Europe are put under strain by global deregulationCombines 'flexible specialization in clusters' approach with original empirical data

Introduction: Local Economies in Turmoil; A.Sverrisson & M.Pieter van Dijk PART ONE: ENTERPRISES AND ENTERPRISE STRATEGIES Adjusting to an Opening Economy: Three Industrial Clusters in Brazil; J.Meyer-Stamer Social Embeddedness: Families and Firms in Tanzania; P.Trulsson Financing Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in Eastern Europe; D.Revoltella PART TWO: INDUSTRIAL CLUSTERS AND NETWORKS Structural Adjustment and Cluster Advantages: A Case from Peru; E.J.Visser Innovation in Roof Tile and Copper Craft Clusters in Indonesia; H.Sandee & P.Rietveld Light Engineering Networks and Structural Adjustment in Zimbabwe; C.M.Halimana & A.Sverrisson PART THREE: THE ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT A Macroperspective on Small Enterprise Growth in Southern Africa; P.O.Pedersen Good Governance and Small Enterprises in Zimbabwe; M.P.van Dijk Economic Cultures and Industrial Development in the South; A.Sverrisson Conclusion: Research Issues after Structural Adjustment; A.Sverrisson & M.P.van Dijk Index