Old Prejudice vs. New Paradigms: Eastern Europe – From the Frying Pan into the Fire? The Key to Stable Economy & Prosperity

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  • Presentation speakers
    • Gerhard Eichweber, Value Group, Switzerland
  • Download presentation
    • Gerhard Eichweber Old Prejudice vs New Paradigms-Eastern Europe–From the Frying Pan into the Fire.pdf

  Abstract:

  Many a crisis has both external and internal reasons. This applies to companies and organisations, but, moreover, to regions and states. Where the internal reasons are avoided, external forces have much less success potential to destabilise societies and their economies. Thus, as societies are further destabilised, rather than united, through economic crises, their striving for a better future enters into a vicious circle leading to increasing frustration, repression and conflicts rather than to the long overdue prosperity for all. This applies to countries in Southern Europe, as it does to countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa or to Australia. In the case of Eastern Europe, specific historical facts add to the complications: Long repeated prejudice about “capitalism” has been switched from “forbidden” to “must do”. As a consequence, now that “socialism” has been proven wrong, people behave and practice what the they have learnt in eternal communist “brainwashes” as “capitalist”. A concept entirely different from values prevailing in Western Europe: Locally rooted and socially responsible entrepreneurship striving for success through individual uniqueness, innovation – and benevolence towards clientele and public. All of a which appeared self understood, thus, formed a paradigm “naturally” enforced by “social control” among entrepreneurs, although under growing pressure by destructive influences. Moreover, with the fall of the “iron curtain”, the impetus of US-American influences in Eastern Europe has promoted “new concepts” quickly adopted as misleading rules, which serve none of Europe’s and its citizens interests. Less: Any of the long repressed interests, identities and individual social developments of East European peoples, based on the long repressed riches of their own ethnic and cultural identities: their own uniqueness and, thus, qualitative diversity. As a result, after short straw fires created by foreign “investments”, ending as soon as people request fair pay enabling them to grow and educate their children with one job rather than three, “investors” punish the people and the country by moving away again the work just brought. Although obvious, the overdue lessons regarding the importance of “real economy” are still not learnt. European governments and bureaucracy and “global” organisations, united by erroneous paradigms overdue to be abolished, insist on paralising rules to be followed in exchange for credit. Rules forged by the same foreign influence groups. Rather, the countries could learn from the swift and effective turnaround of Spain’s Basque Country in the mid-eighties. The paper explains, how that has been planned and achieved. And how it can not only be repeated, but improved. But it also explains, which disinformation regarding the so called “Miracle of Bilbao” or “Bilbao Effect” needs to be corrected in order for the example to be understood and followed successfully. Moreover, the paper quotes the author’s findings regarding economy and published after long reflections “why we have been so successful – despite clear contradictions to mainstream economic theory”. As a result of said reflections, it also presents the author’s findings regarding economy, published and presented after long hesitation in events organised by academic institutions of the Baltic region. As said publication holistically presents the matter from numerous view points, this paper, together with other short papers, aims at presenting the findings in “palatable” portions focused upon concrete problems, for immediate application.

 

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