Download or read book Trade and Cost Competitiveness in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovenia written by Peter Havlik and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2000-01-01 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although the four countries considered in this study are the most developed transition countries in Europe, their average wages are only a fraction of West European levels. While the labor costs would theoretically give the Central and Eastern European (CEEC) countries an advantage, capital shortages and the lack of skills required for a market economy prevent its use. The report was prepared under the auspices of the World Bank by Peter Havlik, Deputy Director of the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW). This report reviews wage and labor productivity developments and examines the evolution of export competitiveness. It also summarizes the main findings from the ongoing research by WIIW on the impact of foreign direct investment on restructuring and provides some policy recommendations.