Attitudes towards and perceptions of entrepreneurs in Central Eastern Europe (Poland, the Czech Republic, and East-Germany)

This paper explores attitudes and perceptions towards entrepreneurs in three Central Eastern European (CEE) countries undergoing transition from planned to market-based economic systems. Entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) play a critical role in this transformation process. Study one examines whether governments and general public are perceived as supportive of entrepreneurs. Such perceptions might eventually increase the number of entrepreneurs as it would be seen as a legitimate career choice (cf. Etzioni, 1987). Study two explores whether the concept ‘entrepreneur’ is interpreted in the same way in the three cultures using a student sample. Cross-cultural aspects and support measures for entrepreneurship are discussed.

Determinants of civil society influence:the case of international development and humanitarian NGOs in the Czech Republic and Hungary

Accession to the EU has had ambiguous effects on civil society organizations (CSOs) in the East Central European countries. A general observation is that accession has not led to the systematic empowerment of CSOs in terms of growing influence on national policy making. This article investigates the determinants of successful CSO advocacy by looking at international development and humanitarian NGOs (NGDOs) in the Czech Republic and Hungary. Reforms in the past decade in the Czech Republic have created an international development policy largely in line with NGDO interests, while Hungary’s ministry of foreign affairs seems to have been unresponsive to reform demands from civil society. The article argues that there is clear evidence of NGDO influence in the Czech Republic on international development policy, which is because of the fact that Czech NGDOs have been able solve problems of collective actions, while the Hungarian NGDO sector remains fragmented. They also have relatively stronger capacities, can rely on greater public support and can thus present more legitimate demands towards their government.

Neither security nor development? Czech and Hungarian identities and interests in the provincial reconstruction teams in Afghanistan

This article builds on the securitisation and post-development literature and it scrutinises the Czech and Hungarian legitimising discourses of the two countries’ respective Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) in the Logar and Baghlan provinces of Afghanistan from 2007 to 2013. In spite of the hybrid civil–military character of the PRTs, their security–development nexus was absent and they were respectively securitised and “developmentalised” only indirectly and to a varying extent. The PRTs were mostly justified by the Czech Republic's NATO membership as an identity issue and they were justified as a Hungarian national interest and as both an obligation and an opportunity. Rather than merely importing NATO's arguments as suggested by the previous literature, the depoliticisation and positive connotation of the intervention in Afghanistan was constructed by the domestic NATO-related identities and interests in the Czech Republic and Hungary.

Combustion and emission characteristics of a typical biodiesel engine operated on waste cooking oil derived biodiesel

Waste cooking oils can be converted into fuels to provide economical and environmental benefits. One option is to use such fuels in stationary engines for electricity generation, co-generation or tri-generation application. In this study, biodiesel derived from waste cooking oil was tested in an indirect injection type 3-cylinder Lister Petter biodiesel engine. We compared the combustion and emission characteristics with that of fossil diesel operation. The physical and chemical properties of pure biodiesel (B100) and its blends (20% and 60% vol.) were measured and compared with those of diesel. With pure biodiesel fuel, full engine power was achieved and the cylinder gas pressure diagram showed stable operation. At full load, peak cylinder pressure of B100 operation was almost similar to diesel and peak burn rate of combustion was about 13% higher than diesel. For biodiesel operation, occurrences of peak burn rates were delayed compared to diesel. Fuel line injection pressure was increased by 8.5-14.5% at all loads. In comparison to diesel, the start of combustion was delayed and 90% combustion occurred earlier. At full load, the total combustion duration of B100 operation was almost 16% lower than diesel. Biodiesel exhaust gas emissions contained 3% higher CO2 and 4% lower NOx, as compared to diesel. CO emissions were similar at low load condition, but were decreased by 15 times at full load. Oxygen emission decreased by around 1.5%. Exhaust gas temperatures were almost similar for both biodiesel and diesel operation. At full engine load, the brake specific fuel consumption (on a volume basis) and brake thermal efficiency were respectively about 2.5% and 5% higher compared to diesel. Full engine power was achieved with both blends, and little difference in engine performance and emission results were observed between 20% and 60% blends. The study concludes that biodiesel derived from waste cooking oil gave better efficiency and lower NOx emissions than standard diesel. Copyright © 2012 SAE International.