All former Soviet Union countries experience their past as a heavy burden. It led to the centralisation of scientific personnel, the separation of research from teaching at universities, and a concentration of certain branches of technology in different parts of the Union. This has given rise to a one-sided technology and science potential which frequently cannot be sufficiently supported due to a lack of adequate finance. Cooperation between the Baltic States themselves is often hampered by an exaggerated sense of national identity, and international cooperation can be made difficult by linguistic problems. A critical issue is finance. The Baltic States themselves are experiencing budgetary constraints, and the West is cutting back on funding. The analytical issues dealt with here include specific questions, such as in the sectors of energy policy, electrical equipment and electronics, and environmental considerations. The transfer of technology is also discussed, as is security: there is the possibility that science and scientific results can be obtained from the former Soviet Union at low cost by the criminal community.

The scientific-technical potential of the Baltic States and their possibilities for co operation with Europe require in-depth, specific analysis. With the deterioration of the structures of science and technology of the former Soviet Union, the severance of communications with former clients, industry and science and technology, the Baltic States - the leaders of the former Soviet Union in this area, faced a difficult new situation. The government budgets of these countries, due to economic decline, are not capable of financing scientific research and project studies, and industry has lost a large part (in some branches this loss reaches even 2/3 or more) of its potential, losing both funds and interest in the sciences. The conversion of industry in the Baltic States is tied with the whole of its restructurisation, which still has not attained more precise directions for a new specialization or connections to the international market. The earlier dominant branches, such as machine production, electro-technology, radio-technology and the electronics industry, require essential modernization, which is possible only through co-operation with other developed countries, especially with the EU and NATO countries. This co-operation could include new mobilized capacities of science and technology. A longer period of stagnation and separation may adversely affect these capacities and lead to their dilution and weakening, due to the "brain drain" of more qualified scientists and specialists to the commercial sector, which does not require high intellectual levels.

The world is facing several serious challenges at the close of the fossil and nuclear energy regime: the limited resources of cheap conventional oil can only be surmounted by tapping unconventional oil reserves, e.g. deep sea oil. The explosion of the oil platform Deepwater Horizon in 2010 and the subsequent oil spill caused enormous damage, which even a year later cannot be fully estimated. Another even more important threat emanating from the fossil and nuclear energy regime has been brought to our attention by the Fukushima disaster. Last but not least, the problem of climate change caused by an increase in greenhouse gas emissions is looming, despite the fact that the international community has agreed on a considerable reduction of these emissions. Is this poor result of the Kyoto Protocol and the failure of successive climate conferences the consequence of a preference for the use of market-based instruments? The majority of climate scientists, economists, and politicians believe in the efficiency of "cap-and-trade" regulations. They even conceive them as a constituent ingredient of a "Green New Deal" or "Global Green Recovery." The contributions in this volume provide a critical examination of the theoretical foundations, the political implications, and the empirical experiences of the application of market mechanisms and financial instruments to climate policy.

All former Soviet Union countries experience their past as a heavy burden. It led to the centralisation of scientific personnel, the separation of research from teaching at universities, and a concentration of certain branches of technology in different parts of the Union. This has given rise to a one-sided technology and science potential which frequently cannot be sufficiently supported due to a lack of adequate finance. Cooperation between the Baltic States themselves is often hampered by an exaggerated sense of national identity, and international cooperation can be made difficult by linguistic problems. A critical issue is finance. The Baltic States themselves are experiencing budgetary constraints, and the West is cutting back on funding. The analytical issues dealt with here include specific questions, such as in the sectors of energy policy, electrical equipment and electronics, and environmental considerations. The transfer of technology is also discussed, as is security: there is the possibility that science and scientific results can be obtained from the former Soviet Union at low cost by the criminal community.

The scientific-technical potential of the Baltic States and their possibilities for co operation with Europe require in-depth, specific analysis. With the deterioration of the structures of science and technology of the former Soviet Union, the severance of communications with former clients, industry and science and technology, the Baltic States - the leaders of the former Soviet Union in this area, faced a difficult new situation. The government budgets of these countries, due to economic decline, are not capable of financing scientific research and project studies, and industry has lost a large part (in some branches this loss reaches even 2/3 or more) of its potential, losing both funds and interest in the sciences. The conversion of industry in the Baltic States is tied with the whole of its restructurisation, which still has not attained more precise directions for a new specialization or connections to the international market. The earlier dominant branches, such as machine production, electro-technology, radio-technology and the electronics industry, require essential modernization, which is possible only through co-operation with other developed countries, especially with the EU and NATO countries. This co-operation could include new mobilized capacities of science and technology. A longer period of stagnation and separation may adversely affect these capacities and lead to their dilution and weakening, due to the "brain drain" of more qualified scientists and specialists to the commercial sector, which does not require high intellectual levels."

Nachdem offensichtlich der Krise nach 1974 mit den herkoemmlichen Mitteln keyne- sianischer Nachfragesteuerung nicht mehr beigekommen werden konnte und die Re- gierungen in Westeuropa zu jeweils national spezifischen Varianten einer restrikti- ven Austeritypolitik ubergingen, wurde der Ruf nach einer "alternativen Wirtschafts- politik" laut. Sie sollte sowohl effizient im Sinne der Wiederherstellung der Vollbe- schaftigung sein als auch dem Abbau an Sozialleistungen ein Ende bereiten und im Gegenteil sogar die Ausweitung des Systems der sozialen Sicherung auch als ein Mit- tel der Schaffung von gesellschaftlich sinnvollen und individuell befriedigenden Ar- beitsplatzen benutzen. Insbesondere die Gewerkschaften in Westeuropa sind die Promotoren von Konzeptionen alternativer Wirtschaftspolitik, unterstutzt von so- zial engagierten kritischen Wissenschaftlern. Erst spater wurden auch von den Links- parteien, von sozialdemokratischen bis zu eurokommunistischen Parteien, Alterna- tivkonzepte vorgelegt, die - abhold jeglichen revolutionaren Pathos - auf struktu- relle Reformen innerhalb des kapitalistischen Systems setzen. An dieser Konstella- tion hat sich bis heute nichts geandert. Projekte alternativer Wirtschaftspolitik wer- den immer wieder auf den neuesten Stand gebracht, doch ihre Realisierung ist ge- genuber der Dampfwalze von restriktiven Massnahmen und sozialpolitischen Demon- tagen kaum weiter gekommen --- sieht man einmal von Frankreich ab, wo seit Mai 1981 eine Linksregierung im Amt ist, uberhauft von Schwierigkeiten, ihr Programm durchzufuhren angesichts der internationalen Abhangigkeiten in dem hochintegier- ten westeuropaischen Wirtschaftsraum, dem "Europa des Kapitals".