The use of regulation and governance theories in research on post-socialism: the adaptation of enterprises in Vyborg1

The Swedish version of this article is published in Nordisk Östforum, fall issue, 2003.

Abstract

This article deals with developments since the collapse of socialism in Vyborg, the former Finnish city transferred to the Soviet Union's north–west frontier in 1944. It assesses how enterprises founded during the socialist era, their heirs, and new Russian and foreign firms, have coped with economic change and adjusted to the new economic system. It also explains the evolution of hybrid forms of activity on the enterprise level and their impact on the development of Vyborg as a local economy. This paper shows that the traditions of socialism embodied in many enterprises' adaptation strategies have helped the public sector in financial crisis because enterprises have continued the socialist traditions to take care of fractions of public infrastructure.

Notes

The Swedish version of this article is published in Nordisk Östforum, fall issue, 2003.

The article is based on a study published in 2002 entitled ‘Governance, the Local Regulation Process, and Enterprise Adaptation in Post-Socialism: the Case of Vyborg’. Helsinki School of Economics A-199, Helsinki. The research involved interviews in Vyborg of representatives of 40 enterprises with Russian or Finnish ownership, nine representatives of local government, and employees of the enterprises in question.