Title: The decline and recombination of networks in the Czech Republic

Authors: Hosein Piranfar, Reza Rasouli

Addresses: East London Business School, Docklands Campus, 4-6 University Way, London, E16 2RD, UK. ' Payame-noor University, Lashkarak, P.O. Box 19395-4697, Tehran, Iran

Abstract: This paper examines the period of discontinuity of networks and their recombination in the Czech Republic during the 1990s, a period of hasty privatisation with calamitous results for social capital, networks and the economy. Despite some revival in networking, the full recovery is hampered by the current stand off between a push for privatisation and the European social capitalism. Three manufacturing networks are studied. The first two illustrate the problem facing the networks and the third outlines one of the possible routes for recombination. The current turmoil in the Czech railways is also briefly looked at to show that the damage inflicted on path-dependent social capital is not easily healed.

Keywords: social capital; manufacturing networks; path dependence; Czech Republic; network discontinuity; network recombination; privatisation; Czech railways.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMDM.2008.019787

International Journal of Management and Decision Making, 2008 Vol.9 No.5, pp.559 - 576

Published online: 30 Jul 2008 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article