Generolo Jono Žemaičio Lietuvos karo akademija

Aim of the paper is to outline a research methodology, which would ultimately allow predicting and enhancing competitiveness of less developed economies, which encounter energy security issues. The following theoretical questions are to be discussed. The first, what we mean by sustainable development in countries, which are in different economic development phases, i.e. if emphasis on different facets of sustainability (particularly economic environmental, related to energy consumption patterns) changes as country develops. The second research question raised in the paper deals with energy security issues. Authors tackle the following questions of methodological character: if/what natural consistent patterns of economies development exist; and how to indicate efficient ways of economic restructuring. Answer to the indicated questions would allow formulating policy implications directed towards energetically secure and sustainable development.

It is scientifically proved that foreign direct investments (FDI) are one of the life-forces for economic growth. Foreign investors use local labour, capital, and natural resources that are constantly running out and limited. However, global companies that translocate their production process often devastate the nature of the host country. Decline of natural resources and climate changes forces to think about how people could develop country’s economy and social welfare, but at the same time save nature and its resources. Global companies are the main developers of economy and social welfare, but also, they are environment polluters. The value of sustainable development is quite obvious, but there is a lack of research about the relationship between FDI and sustainable development in the literature. The literature separately analyses the problem of sustainable development or FDI impact on economic development. Often, FDI is described by determining the effects, but it does not address the question of expedient foreign capital, which would provide the greatest benefit to the host country. The article analyses the influence of foreign direct investments (FDI) on sustainable development. It develops the concept of sustainable investment. It aims to find out whether the purposively formed foreign direct investment policy can ensure the sustainability of economic development. In this case, FDI can become an instrument for the implementation of sustainable development. This study is about Ireland case. The choice is not coincidental. Since this country applied FDI policy, it was able to transform the economy rapidly, and also it became one of the most developed countries in Europe. The authors of the research chose ten economic, social, and environmental factors that define sustainable growth. The analysis revealed the contact between the indicators of FDI and sustainable growth in different periods of the economic cycle.

Presented paper aims to indicate what types of interrelationships between energy usage patterns prevailing in particular country, economic growth and finally, sustainable development could be distinguished. The topic of paper, or, rather research area, is neither new nor original. Nevertheless, an array of approaches towards character of considered interrelationships can be encountered. Complicity of chosen issue, we reckon, lies in differences of perception of the following questions. Our findings consequently would depend on, at first, how we measure economic growth in short and long terms, the second, how we measure energy security, and, the third, how we benchmark progress towards sustainable development. Methods, which we consider as being applicable for measuring of selected interrelationships, comprise a separate part of scientific elaboration. Therefore we formulate a task to overview the most contemporary measurable perceptions of economic growth, perceptions of energy security facets affecting economic growth and consequent reaction of sustainable development to various scenarios of energy consumption and economic growth. Resulting conclusions about measurement of indicated phenomena and argumentations of their plausible interrelation would lead us to choice of methodological approaches of described interrelations’ analysis.

Economic growth and country’s industry dependence on the assessment of energetic resources arise as comprehensive approach. The increase in global energy prices, significant dependence on imported energy and increase in energy consumption might result international competitiveness of the country and pose constrains towards sustainable development. Restructuring of the economies from energy intensive industries towards more technologically advanced products and services might lead to higher value added per unit of product, and energy saving sectors with lower energy consumption per unit of output. In order to sustain international competitiveness of exporting sectors, it is necessary to diminish gradually intensity of expensive energy resources. The problem of this study related to the scientific discussion concerning relationships among the intensity of energetic resources’ use, economic growth and export. The analysis of the theoretical and empirical studies of the effects of energy on the economic growth and export showed that energetic resources precede and predict the economic growth and export, however, the question concerning the direction of causality remains open, since unobserved variables may drive both developments. This paper analyzes the case of Lithuania. The authors investigate economic growth and industry sectors’ export dependence on energetic resources.

Economic growth and income differentiation problems are the most actual problems of modern research. The research is attributed to sustainable development research area. In a case of Latvian economy these problems have a huge actuality because of lack of researching works, where these parts of science are completely opened. Special interest causes question about the trajectory of economic growth and and uneven income. If GDP growth is connected with increasing income differentiation of population, then increasing income differentiation absorbs part of the effect on the growth of aggregate income. If GDP growth is on the background of lower income differentiation, the increase in total income is supplemented by regularity of revenue growth. Thus the social effect of economic growth increases significantly. What trends are taking place in income differentiation by regions and economic development of the regions in Latvia after the EU accession? What trends are taking place in interregional differentiation in income per household member, and in GDP? Is there a relationship between trajectories of economic growth and income differentiation in the regions of Latvia?

On May 1st, 2004, Poland and 9 other countries became members of the European Union. The new economic and institutional conditions resulting from this event had a tremendous impact on Poland’s macroeconomic performance. Poland is the biggest beneficiary of the European Cohesion Policy in 2007-2013. This paper aims at evaluating the scope and strength of cohesion policy’s impact on the macroeconomic situation of Poland. Authors attempt to assess the economic benefits of Poland’s membership in the EU (focusing particularly on those related to impact of the cohesion policy’s implementation). Additionally, the article presents the benefits derived by the EU-15 countries from the implementation of the cohesion policy in Poland. Authors focus, inter alia, on assessing the impact of Poland’s membership in the European Union on macroeconomic situation of the country. The assessment of the said impact is based both on the analysis of selected studies of the subject and on authors’ own research based on available statistical data. Within such a context, authors discuss the results of three research projects – commissioned by the Polish Ministry of Regional Development – which attempt to evaluate the impact of the EU cohesion policy on selected macroeconomic indicators.

International migration has become a key challenge and concern in the European Union (EU) and most part of the word. On the one hand, the freedom to move to another Member State is the right guaranteed for all the EU citizens. On the other hand, emigration or immigration is a longstanding concern for policy makers in many countries. Generally, human capital is one of the future sustainable competitiveness resources. Moreover, now, as the Lisbon Strategy is being replaced by the new EU strategy Europe 2020 for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth (2010), there is evidence that mobility in the EU will increase. In order to achieve the goals of the strategy Europe 2020 (2010), especially employment target, the flagship initiative “Youth on the Move” places a lot of emphasis on mobility as in moving to another country to study, train or work. The perceptions of this research show that growing mobility can be followed with new migration trends in the future. Moreover, no single answer to the question what level of migration (emigration or immigration) should be tolerated in the context of sustainable developing economy could be provided. This research not only confirms this observation and theoretical problem of “sustainable migration” but goes much further by discussing the reasons why one of the highest emigration rates in the EU happened to be found in Lithuania.