Chief Editor: Dr. Chen Xin
Preface
China-CEE Institute announced a “Call for Proposal” research program in May 2020. Among the proposals received, one research proposal is “Digital Economy in Central and Eastern Europe”. What we are presenting here is the result of this research project, conducted by a research team from Infokommunikációs Stratégiai Kutatások Intézete (ISKI Consulting Limited, Hungary), Tongji University (China) and Corvinus University (Hungary).
The project is composed of two separate subsections. The first subsection is the CEE subsection that focuses on analyzing the regional development in CEE countries in the digital economy, and the other is the Hungarian Country Case subsection that concentrates on the special features of the Hungarian digital economy. In both sections, the research team used a combination of primary and secondary research methods.
The analysis result is summarized in the first chapter of the book, where the research team calculated the regional average of each DESI indicator and compared its development with that of the EU average, compared each CEE country Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) indicator with the regional average and identified some common development features for the region, and also analyzed each regional country’s development for the period of 2016-2020, taking into account 36 detailed DESI indicators. The second chapter focuses on national initiatives in Central and Eastern Europe by using secondary research methods, and the third chapter provides an analysis of cooperation potential between China and the CEE region in the info-communications sector. The Hungarian Country Case is covered by two chapters: The fourth chapter provides an overview of the national digital programs in Hungary and also presents a comparison of Hungary’s DESI indicators with that of EU member countries, and the fifth chapter sheds light upon China-Hungary cooperation in the info-communications sector via a more detailed approach.
The China-CEE Institute, registered as a non-profit limited company in Budapest, was established by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) in April 2017. The Institute aims to build ties and strengthen partnerships with academic institutions and think tanks in Hungary, Central and Eastern European countries, as well as other parts of Europe. The China-CEE Institute encourages scholars and researchers to carry out joint researches and field studies, organizes seminars and lecture series, holds training programs for students and junior researchers, and publishes publications, etc.
The views in the book are represented by the individual authors instead of the China-CEE Institute. I hope this book will help enrich the research literature on the digital economy in CEE countries.
Prof. Dr. CHEN Xin Executive President and Managing Director, China-CEE Institute Deputy Director General, Institute of European Studies, CASS
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