Not running out of steam after 30 years: The enduring relevance of Central and Eastern Europe for international management scholarship

Abstract

Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is a crucial geopolitical area that has played an important role in the advancement of globalization and the nurturing of international management (IM) scholarship. This article serves as an introduction to a special issue on the topic and argues that CEE remains important for IM scholarship as it provides a critical research context for increasing understanding of IM-related phenomena at various levels of analysis. We discuss the topics most relevant for advancing IM scholarship and group them into three broad themes: macro - state, institutions, and populism; inter-firm - entrepreneurship, internationalization, and business networks; and intra-firm - management practices, leadership, and people management.