The co-creative university has become the main driver of social and economic development stimulating internal (students and academics) and external creativity (companies and institutional environment) as well as cooperation in various areas (e.g. applied graduation theses, research projects, lifelong learning). Intended as a contribution to a better understanding of how universities create value in numerous areas, this book discusses the determinants of creativity and ways of stimulating it with a special focus on approaches and practical solutions relevant to teaching. Examples include problem-oriented student theses, which represent a successful combination of creativity with practical knowledge. Based on the findings of international surveys of students, the author offers an in-depth analysis of the differences between what they expect from universities and the degree to which their expectations are met. Comparing students' opinions with those of employees of international corporations (working graduates) permitted the author to test the actual utility of selected aspects of university education. Regrettably, both groups of respondents gave low ratings to support for developing creativity, which should serve as a warning sign and inform future reforms at this level of education. This book is primarily targeted to those involved in education, policy-making, and socio-economic development. It provides a rich source of information for university managers on how to better fulfil their missions based on the idea of co-creativity. It also suggests how to improve the effectiveness of research and education in order to ensure that both can better respond to current development challenges.

Drawing on a range of European cases, this edited volume analyses the offshoring and outsourcing of foreign companies, with a focus on territorial embeddedness. The book opens by developing a theoretical framework and then presents a range of international case studies exploring the experiences of the service hub cities of Brno, Bratislava, Budapest, Krakow, and Prague. Attention is also given to internal and external determinants of embeddedness, with chapters on the employee perspective, the Fintech industry, corporate social responsibility, and the role of universities. This volume will be of interest to advanced students and researchers in regional economics, economic geography, innovation studies, industrial economics, European economics, and international business.

The co-creative university has become the main driver of social and economic development stimulating internal (students and academics) and external creativity (companies and institutional environment) as well as cooperation in various areas (e.g. applied graduation theses, research projects, lifelong learning). Intended as a contribution to a better understanding of how universities create value in numerous areas, this book discusses the determinants of creativity and ways of stimulating it with a special focus on approaches and practical solutions relevant to teaching. Examples include problem-oriented student theses, which represent a successful combination of creativity with practical knowledge. Based on the findings of international surveys of students, the author offers an in-depth analysis of the differences between what they expect from universities and the degree to which their expectations are met. Comparing students' opinions with those of employees of international corporations (working graduates) permitted the author to test the actual utility of selected aspects of university education. Regrettably, both groups of respondents gave low ratings to support for developing creativity, which should serve as a warning sign and inform future reforms at this level of education. This book is primarily targeted to those involved in education, policy-making, and socio-economic development. It provides a rich source of information for university managers on how to better fulfil their missions based on the idea of co-creativity. It also suggests how to improve the effectiveness of research and education in order to ensure that both can better respond to current development challenges.

Drawing on a range of European cases, this edited volume analyses the offshoring and outsourcing of foreign companies, with a focus on territorial embeddedness. The book opens by developing a theoretical framework and then presents a range of international case studies exploring the experiences of the service hub cities of Brno, Bratislava, Budapest, Krakow, and Prague. Attention is also given to internal and external determinants of embeddedness, with chapters on the employee perspective, the Fintech industry, corporate social responsibility, and the role of universities. This volume will be of interest to advanced students and researchers in regional economics, economic geography, innovation studies, industrial economics, European economics, and international business.

The consequences of the global economic crisis which started in the United States in 2007-08 are still being felt in most of the advanced economies, and the mainstream tools of recovery are not having the required results. It seems that many of the after-effects of the crisis, including the instability of the financial markets, increasing public debts and limited economic growth, require new solutions from both economic policy and theory. Lower aggregate demand during the crisis increased the pressure on firms to be more competitive and at the same time, the crisis in the banking system has had a negative impact on the willingness of financial institutions to give credit to companies for investment. Therefore, the key issue for current economic policy is to find a balance between the stabilisation of public finance and maintaining the momentum of long-term growth. This book offers an evolutionary-developmental analysis, combining elements of neo-Schumpeterian economics, institutional economics and post-Keynesian economics, to show that selection processes within an economy, and the institutional rules shaping those processes, are substantially more important than usually recognised by evolutionary economic theory. Two major challenges for economic theory and policy, in particular, have emerged during the crisis. The first is the rise of unemployment coupled with growing public deficits. The second is the financial instability which threatens the permanence of economic development. This book examines the performance of the advanced economies since the crisis and explores why some of them have been more successful in tackling these challenges than others. It is argued that the reasons for the varied performances of these economies lie in the economic policies which were introduced before and in the aftermath of the crisis and the differences in the regulation of their labour markets. This volume will be of interest to students and academics in the areas of macroeconomics, public economics and public management.

The consequences of the global economic crisis which started in the United States in 2007-08 are still being felt in most of the advanced economies, and the mainstream tools of recovery are not having the required results. It seems that many of the after-effects of the crisis, including the instability of the financial markets, increasing public debts and limited economic growth, require new solutions from both economic policy and theory. Lower aggregate demand during the crisis increased the pressure on firms to be more competitive and at the same time, the crisis in the banking system has had a negative impact on the willingness of financial institutions to give credit to companies for investment. Therefore, the key issue for current economic policy is to find a balance between the stabilisation of public finance and maintaining the momentum of long-term growth. This book offers an evolutionary-developmental analysis, combining elements of neo-Schumpeterian economics, institutional economics and post-Keynesian economics, to show that selection processes within an economy, and the institutional rules shaping those processes, are substantially more important than usually recognised by evolutionary economic theory. Two major challenges for economic theory and policy, in particular, have emerged during the crisis. The first is the rise of unemployment coupled with growing public deficits. The second is the financial instability which threatens the permanence of economic development. This book examines the performance of the advanced economies since the crisis and explores why some of them have been more successful in tackling these challenges than others. It is argued that the reasons for the varied performances of these economies lie in the economic policies which were introduced before and in the aftermath of the crisis and the differences in the regulation of their labour markets. This volume will be of interest to students and academics in the areas of macroeconomics, public economics and public management.