The Baltic area in east European studies at American universities

Summary

Work in the Baltic area is not easy and will not become so in the near future for the following reasons:

• 1. One has to command a number of languages.

• 2. The number of scholars interested in the Baltic is not great, and they are widely dispersed. Hence, cooperation is impeded.

• 3. A student or scholar must become a Baltic specialist in terms of some other academic discipline.

• 4. Materials needed for studying the Baltic at a distance are scarce and dispersed. Even the best library holdings are not extensive, and existing collections are all too often not catalogued.

There are, however, positive aspects:

• 1. One can go to the area for short-term visits with an idea of gaining insight into the locality and establishing personal contacts with resident scholars.

• 2. Funds, while not ample, are no more restricted than in other academic enterprises. In some respects, money is the most available resource.

     

The contribution by economists to middle eastern studies (1973–1998)

More economists have been involved in Middle Eastern studies during the last twenty‐five years than ever before, and economists from the region itself now rightly play a dominant role. Inevitably amongst economists there have been disagreements and different schools of thought, especially over the role of the state and the desirability of privatization and structural adjustment policies. There have also been different definitions of rentier states, and contrasting analysis of the dynamics of oil pricing and the effects of oil revenue. Much attention has been paid to regional economic integration issues, even though little has been achieved in that field. There is increasing interest in external trade and investment issues, but in a region where poverty persists, economists should perhaps focus more on the basic needs of the poor which are not being met. Applied microeconomic studies should be given greater priority, as macroeconomic issues have been exhaustively covered and debated.