New state capitalist varieties in the Global East in a changing global landscape

The polycrisis along with intensified geopolitical and geoeconomic rivalry has transformed the landscape of state interventions. Our special issue explores how these processes, dubbed under the notion of new state capitalism, materialise in Central and Eastern Europe, with a special focus on the automotive industry, the energy sector and entrepreneurship. Zooming in on the Central European post-socialist countries adds a new regional perspective to ongoing discussions surrounding new state capitalism. Our contribution is threefold. First, we shed light on the regional specificities stemming from the historical legacy, as well as the unique geographic location of Central and Eastern Europe. Second, we show how in dependent market economies state activism is both enabled and constrained by external integration into global production and financial networks as well as by membership in the European Union. Third, our analysis confirms the increased role of political agency in times of crisis-driven, potentially hegemonic global transformations.