OPT Partnerships at Firm-Level: a ‘Learning Approach’

The picture of OPT relations is very different at firm-level and in aggregate statistical terms. Thus it is necessary to go beyond a statistical analysis and conduct a more qualitative assessment of the very nature of OPT partnerships that are concluded between EU and CEECs firms. The ‘aggregate’ dependence of CEECs’ trade on OPT, highlighted in Chapter 2’s statistical section, corresponds to a ‘microeconomic’ dependence of local firms on their foreign OPT partners which can take many different forms. It is important to understand the nature of these OPT inter-firm relations as they coincide with different opportunities for CEECs’ firms to take advantage of the measure. In fact, they trigger different ‘learning mechanisms’ which are important factors determining the chances that CEECs transition economies have to catch up. This chapter thus identifies different possible types of OPT partnerships mainly on the basis of fieldwork analysis carried out with local firms in the T&C and electrical machinery sectors in the Czech Republic and in Hungary.