This collection of papers summarizes the presentations made at the conference entitled "The Contribution of Disarmament and Conversion to Conflict Prevention and its Relevance for Development Cooperation", held in Bonn, Germany, on 30-31 August 1999.The conference which was organized by... more
Today, the destabilizing accumulation of small arms and their violent use in many countries around the world are high on the international agenda. One approach to the resolution of these problems is micro-disarmament, that is, taking small arms and light weapons―the tools of civil war ―out of... more
BICC’s understanding and perception of conversion was the baseline for developing the objective of the conference. This was the fostering of the idea, knowledge and opportunities of utilizing human, financial and other resources formerly absorbed by the military to civilian end. Herein lay the core... more
This report surveys the base redevelopment efforts currently underway in Central and Eastern Europe. The first chapter provides an overview of the issue for most of the major countries in the region, and compares the processes within the different countries. The second and third chapters provide... more
The purpose of the report is to analyze the changes that have occurred in defense R&D since the onset of monetary and systemic reforms. It therefore summarizes the developments of the last four years, including studies of sectoral differences, regional and employment aspects, and institutional... more
The implementation of a long-term program aimed specifically at conversion signalizes the priority which the European Union (EU) attaches to the impact of reduced military spending on the economy and the employment market. European conversion policy is geared towards those regions of member states... more
Mayors and city leaders from 13 countries (Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, the Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States) met in Düsseldorf and Frankfurt (Oder), Germany, to pursue international solutions to the challenges posed by... more
Defense conversion has gone through various stages of political acceptance during the last twenty years, and since expectations for a `peace dividend´ have been raised after the end of the Cold War conversion has reached a new level of practical experience within the last five years.BICC report 7... more
This report aims to show the adjustment potential of Russian defense enterprises and the obstacles faced. It is based upon interviews in various enterprises from a range of industrial sectors in the St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk regions as well as independent analyses of these in other companies... more
This report summarizes the panel discussion on Conversion and Social Development, which was organized by the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC) as one of the special events at the United Nations' World Summit for Social Development, held 6-12 March 1995 in Copenhagen. Together, the... more
In 1996 the US will complete its dramatic post-Cold War military restructuring in Germany. The results will have a serious affect on many communities that hosted US-bases. The US-military demand for goods and services in Germany has fallen by more than US $3 billion and more than 70,000 Germans... more
The collection of papers in BICC Report 3 represents a sampling of presentations made at the Bonn International Center for Conversion’s inaugural event – a workshop on conversion of the defense industry in Russia and Eastern Europe, held 11-13 August 1994 in Bonn. The workshop, cohosted by Stanford... more
Well into the 1980s, the Soviet Union expended 20-30% of its GNP on defense. Nearly a quarter of the industrial labor force was employed in defense enterprises. This defense burden can be held partly responsible for the decline of the Soviet economy. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union,... more
The rapidity of change which greeted the end of the cold war has put a strain on the successful management of down-sizing of defense budgets, armed forces and defense industry, and the practical reallocation of physical, financial and human capital. Initial attempts at conversion have faced various... more
