James W. Cortada
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199921553
- eISBN:
- 9780199980406
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199921553.003.0006
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter reviews the arrival, adoption and use of computers in Communist Europe of the 1950s through the 1980s and includes a discussion of post Communist computing in the region into the 2000s. ...
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This chapter reviews the arrival, adoption and use of computers in Communist Europe of the 1950s through the 1980s and includes a discussion of post Communist computing in the region into the 2000s. It discusses Soviet-style management of the economy and technology and provides a detailed analysis of developments in Russia, East Germany, Poland and other Comecon countries. Unlike Western Europe where computing spread rapidly and was widely used, diffusion was slower and less effective in command-controlled economies. This chapter provides detailed information about applications, volumes of machines installed, and public policies intended to facilitate diffusion of technologies.Less
This chapter reviews the arrival, adoption and use of computers in Communist Europe of the 1950s through the 1980s and includes a discussion of post Communist computing in the region into the 2000s. It discusses Soviet-style management of the economy and technology and provides a detailed analysis of developments in Russia, East Germany, Poland and other Comecon countries. Unlike Western Europe where computing spread rapidly and was widely used, diffusion was slower and less effective in command-controlled economies. This chapter provides detailed information about applications, volumes of machines installed, and public policies intended to facilitate diffusion of technologies.
Johan F.M. Swinnen and Scott Rozelle
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199288915
- eISBN:
- 9780191603518
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199288917.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The changes which led to the emergence of China as a global economic powerhouse, the integration of ten Central and Eastern European countries into the European Union (EU) and the uncertain path of ...
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The changes which led to the emergence of China as a global economic powerhouse, the integration of ten Central and Eastern European countries into the European Union (EU) and the uncertain path of Russia towards a market economy all started with the agricultural reforms in the Chinese countryside in the late 1970s. Since then, the changes have occurred so fast and the impact has been so vast that the importance of understanding the forces that unleashed this process, how these changes became possible, and the lessons for other developing countries cannot be overestimated. This book analyzes the economics and politics of agricultural reforms by comparing reform processes, their causes and effects across this vast region. The authors draw on a wide range of studies and new data, which compare reforms and economic impacts in more than 25 countries. They present a series of conclusions and implications on the role of economic reforms in growth, and the importance of initial conditions and political constraints in explaining the choices that were made and their effects.Less
The changes which led to the emergence of China as a global economic powerhouse, the integration of ten Central and Eastern European countries into the European Union (EU) and the uncertain path of Russia towards a market economy all started with the agricultural reforms in the Chinese countryside in the late 1970s. Since then, the changes have occurred so fast and the impact has been so vast that the importance of understanding the forces that unleashed this process, how these changes became possible, and the lessons for other developing countries cannot be overestimated. This book analyzes the economics and politics of agricultural reforms by comparing reform processes, their causes and effects across this vast region. The authors draw on a wide range of studies and new data, which compare reforms and economic impacts in more than 25 countries. They present a series of conclusions and implications on the role of economic reforms in growth, and the importance of initial conditions and political constraints in explaining the choices that were made and their effects.
Valentine M. Moghadam
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198290230
- eISBN:
- 9780191684807
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198290230.003.0014
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Contrary to what several observers expected, the dissolution of communism that resulted in a shift to a market economy had adverse effects on the status of women in terms of employment and ...
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Contrary to what several observers expected, the dissolution of communism that resulted in a shift to a market economy had adverse effects on the status of women in terms of employment and participation in political affairs. Such was evident not only through the increasing unemployment of women and the decline in female parliamentary participation, but also through the media and through the migration of sexual workers for hard currency. Post-communist Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union evidently experienced the recurrence of patriarchal structures, ideologies, and policies since the ‘over-emancipated, masculinized women’ were being attributed to the decline of economies. This chapter attempts to examine how the gender roles have evolved and the implications of such for women particularly at the end of communism.Less
Contrary to what several observers expected, the dissolution of communism that resulted in a shift to a market economy had adverse effects on the status of women in terms of employment and participation in political affairs. Such was evident not only through the increasing unemployment of women and the decline in female parliamentary participation, but also through the media and through the migration of sexual workers for hard currency. Post-communist Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union evidently experienced the recurrence of patriarchal structures, ideologies, and policies since the ‘over-emancipated, masculinized women’ were being attributed to the decline of economies. This chapter attempts to examine how the gender roles have evolved and the implications of such for women particularly at the end of communism.
John Sutton
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199274536
- eISBN:
- 9780191746123
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199274536.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This book offers a new perspective on the economics of globalization, based on the concepts of firms' capabilities as the immediate cause of countries' wealth. It presents new ways of looking at the ...
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This book offers a new perspective on the economics of globalization, based on the concepts of firms' capabilities as the immediate cause of countries' wealth. It presents new ways of looking at the way China, India, and Africa have been drawn into the global economy over the past two decades. It offers new perspectives on some of the most central questions in the current debate: What effects does the rise of China have for the advanced industrial economies? Why have some industries adapted quickly and effectively to the changing global scene, while others have not? How were the ‘Transition Economies’ of Eastern Europe affected by trade liberalization? How have the economic prospects of sub-Saharan African countries changed over the past decade? This analysis contributes to the recent literature on quality and trade, which is providing a new and different approach to the analysis of globalization, and which focuses on those economic mechanisms that are central to the current wave of this centuries-old phenomenon.Less
This book offers a new perspective on the economics of globalization, based on the concepts of firms' capabilities as the immediate cause of countries' wealth. It presents new ways of looking at the way China, India, and Africa have been drawn into the global economy over the past two decades. It offers new perspectives on some of the most central questions in the current debate: What effects does the rise of China have for the advanced industrial economies? Why have some industries adapted quickly and effectively to the changing global scene, while others have not? How were the ‘Transition Economies’ of Eastern Europe affected by trade liberalization? How have the economic prospects of sub-Saharan African countries changed over the past decade? This analysis contributes to the recent literature on quality and trade, which is providing a new and different approach to the analysis of globalization, and which focuses on those economic mechanisms that are central to the current wave of this centuries-old phenomenon.
Johan F. M. Swinnen
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199288915
- eISBN:
- 9780191603518
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199288917.003.0012
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter reviews the main changes in the agricultural economy and policies that took place after the first decade of transition. It discusses the main developments in Central and Eastern Europe, ...
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This chapter reviews the main changes in the agricultural economy and policies that took place after the first decade of transition. It discusses the main developments in Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and in China.Less
This chapter reviews the main changes in the agricultural economy and policies that took place after the first decade of transition. It discusses the main developments in Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and in China.
Ravi Kanbur and Anthony J. Venables
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199278633
- eISBN:
- 9780191602191
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199278636.003.0013
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The authors report levels of income inequality and poverty in four Central and Eastern European countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Russia. Unlike many previous studies that examine ...
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The authors report levels of income inequality and poverty in four Central and Eastern European countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Russia. Unlike many previous studies that examine transition economies, they aggregate the detailed individual-level income surveys made available through the efforts of the Luxembourg Income Study at the regional level of analysis. Although national-level investigations have contributed much to our understanding of the income distribution dynamics, these studies mask intracountry variance in levels of income inequality and thus may not capture the true distribution of household income and accurately reflect individual well-being. Accordingly, the authors compute summary measures of inequality and relative poverty rates, using both local and national relative poverty lines, for the most recent waves of data available.Less
The authors report levels of income inequality and poverty in four Central and Eastern European countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Russia. Unlike many previous studies that examine transition economies, they aggregate the detailed individual-level income surveys made available through the efforts of the Luxembourg Income Study at the regional level of analysis. Although national-level investigations have contributed much to our understanding of the income distribution dynamics, these studies mask intracountry variance in levels of income inequality and thus may not capture the true distribution of household income and accurately reflect individual well-being. Accordingly, the authors compute summary measures of inequality and relative poverty rates, using both local and national relative poverty lines, for the most recent waves of data available.
Alain de Janvry, Gustavo Gordillo, Elisabeth Sadoulet, and Jean-Philippe Platteau (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199242177
- eISBN:
- 9780191697036
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199242177.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The way jurisdiction over land is distributed among members of a community has a powerful influence over how efficiently land is used, the incidence of poverty, and the level of inequality in the ...
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The way jurisdiction over land is distributed among members of a community has a powerful influence over how efficiently land is used, the incidence of poverty, and the level of inequality in the community. Yet much land in less developed countries is underutilized and/or misused from a sustainability standpoint: lack of access to land or unfavorable terms of access remain a fundamental cause of poverty. In addition, unmet demands for land can be a source of political destabilization. At the same time, there presently exist unusual opportunities to reopen the issue of access to land. They include an increasing concern with the efficiency costs of inequality in land distribution, devolution of common property resource management to users, large scale redefinitions of property rights in the context of transition economies in Eastern and central Europe and the end of white rule in South Africa, liberalization of land markets, mounting pressure to deal with environmental issues, the proliferation of civil society organizations voicing the demands of the rural poor, and more democratic forms of governance. Much attention has been given to state-led redistributive land reforms. Other channels include inheritance and inter-vivos transfers, intrahousehold and intracommunity land allocations, community titling of open access resources, the distribution of common property resources and the individualization of rights, decollectivization, land markets and land market-assisted land reforms, and land rental contracts. This book analyzes each of these channels of access to land, and recommends ways of making them more effective.Less
The way jurisdiction over land is distributed among members of a community has a powerful influence over how efficiently land is used, the incidence of poverty, and the level of inequality in the community. Yet much land in less developed countries is underutilized and/or misused from a sustainability standpoint: lack of access to land or unfavorable terms of access remain a fundamental cause of poverty. In addition, unmet demands for land can be a source of political destabilization. At the same time, there presently exist unusual opportunities to reopen the issue of access to land. They include an increasing concern with the efficiency costs of inequality in land distribution, devolution of common property resource management to users, large scale redefinitions of property rights in the context of transition economies in Eastern and central Europe and the end of white rule in South Africa, liberalization of land markets, mounting pressure to deal with environmental issues, the proliferation of civil society organizations voicing the demands of the rural poor, and more democratic forms of governance. Much attention has been given to state-led redistributive land reforms. Other channels include inheritance and inter-vivos transfers, intrahousehold and intracommunity land allocations, community titling of open access resources, the distribution of common property resources and the individualization of rights, decollectivization, land markets and land market-assisted land reforms, and land rental contracts. This book analyzes each of these channels of access to land, and recommends ways of making them more effective.
Giovanni Andrea Cornia and Renato Paniccià
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198297413
- eISBN:
- 9780191685347
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198297413.003.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The study focuses on the behavior of mortality rates of fourteen countries in Eastern and Central Europe during the transition period. Mortality rates differ from country to country: the Czech ...
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The study focuses on the behavior of mortality rates of fourteen countries in Eastern and Central Europe during the transition period. Mortality rates differ from country to country: the Czech Republic has the most improved life expectancy rate while Russia and the Baltic States having the highest mortality rates and hence lower life expectancy. Different factors are considered by the study which affects the mortality rates of these countries. However, the study also considers the increased mortality rates in these countries as either a continuation of the unhealthy lifestyle under the USSR or an effect of other events like the World War II or the famine in the early 1920's that affected the USSR. Numerous factors are also cited by the study. The study finally proposes solutions to this unexplainable rise in the mortality rates of these countries.Less
The study focuses on the behavior of mortality rates of fourteen countries in Eastern and Central Europe during the transition period. Mortality rates differ from country to country: the Czech Republic has the most improved life expectancy rate while Russia and the Baltic States having the highest mortality rates and hence lower life expectancy. Different factors are considered by the study which affects the mortality rates of these countries. However, the study also considers the increased mortality rates in these countries as either a continuation of the unhealthy lifestyle under the USSR or an effect of other events like the World War II or the famine in the early 1920's that affected the USSR. Numerous factors are also cited by the study. The study finally proposes solutions to this unexplainable rise in the mortality rates of these countries.
Alena Nesporova
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198297413
- eISBN:
- 9780191685347
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198297413.003.0009
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
In this chapter, the authors examine the changes in the labour sector of the subject-countries during the transition period. The effects of these changes can result in either full employment or ...
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In this chapter, the authors examine the changes in the labour sector of the subject-countries during the transition period. The effects of these changes can result in either full employment or unemployment which is in-turn can be categorised into open and hidden unemployment. Unemployment — which, as already said in the previous chapters — affects the psychological well being of the people resulting in a psychosocial stress which affects the physical health of the people. During the transition period, most of the Eastern European countries copied the labour structure of the western countries which presented a lot of changes in the labour market. This chapter also deals with the policies put in place by the governments of these countries in order to prevent or at least lessen the stress-related mortality rate.Less
In this chapter, the authors examine the changes in the labour sector of the subject-countries during the transition period. The effects of these changes can result in either full employment or unemployment which is in-turn can be categorised into open and hidden unemployment. Unemployment — which, as already said in the previous chapters — affects the psychological well being of the people resulting in a psychosocial stress which affects the physical health of the people. During the transition period, most of the Eastern European countries copied the labour structure of the western countries which presented a lot of changes in the labour market. This chapter also deals with the policies put in place by the governments of these countries in order to prevent or at least lessen the stress-related mortality rate.
Giovanni Andrea Cornia and Vladimir Popov (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199242184
- eISBN:
- 9780191697043
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199242184.003.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The transition to the market economy has brought about a large and abrupt recession and significant increases in unemployment in most countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. This ...
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The transition to the market economy has brought about a large and abrupt recession and significant increases in unemployment in most countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. This chapter discusses the factors which caused this transformational recession. These include the variations in initial structural and institutional conditions, decline of institutional capabilities, and changes in the property rights regime and microeconomic incentives. It also discusses the key elements for an institutions-focused transition strategy.Less
The transition to the market economy has brought about a large and abrupt recession and significant increases in unemployment in most countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. This chapter discusses the factors which caused this transformational recession. These include the variations in initial structural and institutional conditions, decline of institutional capabilities, and changes in the property rights regime and microeconomic incentives. It also discusses the key elements for an institutions-focused transition strategy.
A. B. Atkinson
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199532438
- eISBN:
- 9780191714559
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199532438.003.0006
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental, International
This chapter discusses the evolution of the distribution of earnings in recent decades in the US, Canada, and eastern and western Europe. The data show that the late 1960s and 1970s were a period of ...
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This chapter discusses the evolution of the distribution of earnings in recent decades in the US, Canada, and eastern and western Europe. The data show that the late 1960s and 1970s were a period of earnings compression in a number of countries (Finland, France, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom); there was not a lull before the storm, and the falls in the bottom decile after 1980 can be seen as a part reversal of the 1970s compression. In many countries, there has been a steady upward movement since 1980 in the top decile (Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States). The finding of a fanning out at the top is evident for Australia, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The three Eastern European countries all showed a move towards increased earnings dispersion with the transition to a market economy, but there are differences, with dispersion being less, and more stable, in the Czech Republic than in Hungary and Poland.Less
This chapter discusses the evolution of the distribution of earnings in recent decades in the US, Canada, and eastern and western Europe. The data show that the late 1960s and 1970s were a period of earnings compression in a number of countries (Finland, France, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom); there was not a lull before the storm, and the falls in the bottom decile after 1980 can be seen as a part reversal of the 1970s compression. In many countries, there has been a steady upward movement since 1980 in the top decile (Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States). The finding of a fanning out at the top is evident for Australia, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The three Eastern European countries all showed a move towards increased earnings dispersion with the transition to a market economy, but there are differences, with dispersion being less, and more stable, in the Czech Republic than in Hungary and Poland.
Renato Paniccià
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198297413
- eISBN:
- 9780191685347
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198297413.003.0005
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter deals with the relationship of the rapid rising of impoverishment which has affected a substantial number of the populations of Eastern and Central Europe in recent years. Poverty in the ...
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This chapter deals with the relationship of the rapid rising of impoverishment which has affected a substantial number of the populations of Eastern and Central Europe in recent years. Poverty in the region rose to 70 million during the transition period from 1989 to 1995. Transition to market economy caused declines in incomes per capita of the people in the region which in turn affected the social and economic security of the people. As a result of poverty, a rapid increase in poverty-related diseases took place. These poverty-related diseases may also be caused by poor nutrition and decreased consumption of foods. These poverty-related diseases are coupled with poor health-care services in these countries. Poverty affects every aspect of a person’s life.Less
This chapter deals with the relationship of the rapid rising of impoverishment which has affected a substantial number of the populations of Eastern and Central Europe in recent years. Poverty in the region rose to 70 million during the transition period from 1989 to 1995. Transition to market economy caused declines in incomes per capita of the people in the region which in turn affected the social and economic security of the people. As a result of poverty, a rapid increase in poverty-related diseases took place. These poverty-related diseases may also be caused by poor nutrition and decreased consumption of foods. These poverty-related diseases are coupled with poor health-care services in these countries. Poverty affects every aspect of a person’s life.
Tony Addison
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199261031
- eISBN:
- 9780191698712
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199261031.003.0016
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This concluding chapter focuses on rebuilding communities, emphasizing the importance of resettlement and access to natural capital. It argues that although a revitalized private sector is essential ...
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This concluding chapter focuses on rebuilding communities, emphasizing the importance of resettlement and access to natural capital. It argues that although a revitalized private sector is essential for growth, its relationship to the state can be problematic in new multi-party political systems. It also emphasizes some important differences between historical experiences of post-war reconstruction and those in contemporary Africa, and discusses the lessons for Africa from the economic and political transitions in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union (EE-FSU).Less
This concluding chapter focuses on rebuilding communities, emphasizing the importance of resettlement and access to natural capital. It argues that although a revitalized private sector is essential for growth, its relationship to the state can be problematic in new multi-party political systems. It also emphasizes some important differences between historical experiences of post-war reconstruction and those in contemporary Africa, and discusses the lessons for Africa from the economic and political transitions in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union (EE-FSU).
Johan Swinnen and Kristine Van Herck
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199679362
- eISBN:
- 9780191758430
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199679362.003.0015
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter provides an overview of the past and expected developments of food security and socio-political stability within the region, and the potential role the region may play in meeting global ...
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This chapter provides an overview of the past and expected developments of food security and socio-political stability within the region, and the potential role the region may play in meeting global food security and socio-political stability challenges, given their policies and institutional constraints. In particular, we discuss the impact of a series of policy initiatives triggered by increasing food prices in the most recent years as especially export restrictions on grains taken by Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan are found to have affected both the food-importing countries in the region as well as several countries in, for example, North Africa and the Middle East, which heavily rely on imports from these major grain-exporting countries.Less
This chapter provides an overview of the past and expected developments of food security and socio-political stability within the region, and the potential role the region may play in meeting global food security and socio-political stability challenges, given their policies and institutional constraints. In particular, we discuss the impact of a series of policy initiatives triggered by increasing food prices in the most recent years as especially export restrictions on grains taken by Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan are found to have affected both the food-importing countries in the region as well as several countries in, for example, North Africa and the Middle East, which heavily rely on imports from these major grain-exporting countries.
Carlos Castel-Branco, Christopher Cramer, and Degol Hailu
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199261031
- eISBN:
- 9780191698712
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199261031.003.0010
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter assesses Mozambique's privatization programme. It begins by outlining why the state intervened in the economy, highlighting both ‘defensive’ and ‘offensive’ motives. It then examines the ...
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This chapter assesses Mozambique's privatization programme. It begins by outlining why the state intervened in the economy, highlighting both ‘defensive’ and ‘offensive’ motives. It then examines the first phase of privatization in the 1980s and describes the difficulties of the implementation and the gradual erosion of the state's strategic vision of privatization into a process by which assets were sold off almost indiscriminately. It also discusses the interaction of domestic and donor pressures to accelerate privatization in the 1990s. The impact of privatization and the role of economic strategy are also examined. The chapter concludes by emphasizing the relevance of the Eastern Europe and former Soviet Union (EE-FSU) transition experiences and the crucial need to invest in regulatory capacity to protect the public interest and to reintegrate privatization into a strategic vision of the economy's future.Less
This chapter assesses Mozambique's privatization programme. It begins by outlining why the state intervened in the economy, highlighting both ‘defensive’ and ‘offensive’ motives. It then examines the first phase of privatization in the 1980s and describes the difficulties of the implementation and the gradual erosion of the state's strategic vision of privatization into a process by which assets were sold off almost indiscriminately. It also discusses the interaction of domestic and donor pressures to accelerate privatization in the 1990s. The impact of privatization and the role of economic strategy are also examined. The chapter concludes by emphasizing the relevance of the Eastern Europe and former Soviet Union (EE-FSU) transition experiences and the crucial need to invest in regulatory capacity to protect the public interest and to reintegrate privatization into a strategic vision of the economy's future.
Brian Pinto
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780198714675
- eISBN:
- 9780191782978
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198714675.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This book distils growth policy lessons from live country stories by a former World Bank economist. The period covered is 1990–2008, encompassing the transition to a market economy in Central and ...
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This book distils growth policy lessons from live country stories by a former World Bank economist. The period covered is 1990–2008, encompassing the transition to a market economy in Central and Eastern Europe and the emerging market crises of 1997–2001 and their aftermath. Poland’s early transition and Russia’s surprisingly quick rebound from its 1998 devaluation and default are discussed, along with India’s unexpected growth take-off after 2003 and Kenya’s proclivity to let political instability derail the gains from good economic policy. The book argues that country economic analysis is in effect a separate, integrative branch of economics. The country stories on Poland, Kenya, India, and Russia, the core of the book, are based on the author’s first-hand experience. Russia 1998 connects to the emerging market crises of 1997–2001 and the macroeconomic policy debates they inspired on debt intolerance, original sin, and fiscal space. The emerging market response to the crises in the shape of comprehensive self-insurance with its implication of self-financed growth, topics to which the author contributed at the World Bank, are covered in the final part of the book. Developing countries can do much to spur growth provided that country leaders and policymakers aim for a sound intertemporal budget constraint for the government, implement the micropolicy trio of hard budgets, competition, and competitive real exchange rates, and take steps to manage volatility, especially from domestic sources. That is what emerges from the country stories. It is a policy agenda rife with political economy challenges; and there are no shortcuts.Less
This book distils growth policy lessons from live country stories by a former World Bank economist. The period covered is 1990–2008, encompassing the transition to a market economy in Central and Eastern Europe and the emerging market crises of 1997–2001 and their aftermath. Poland’s early transition and Russia’s surprisingly quick rebound from its 1998 devaluation and default are discussed, along with India’s unexpected growth take-off after 2003 and Kenya’s proclivity to let political instability derail the gains from good economic policy. The book argues that country economic analysis is in effect a separate, integrative branch of economics. The country stories on Poland, Kenya, India, and Russia, the core of the book, are based on the author’s first-hand experience. Russia 1998 connects to the emerging market crises of 1997–2001 and the macroeconomic policy debates they inspired on debt intolerance, original sin, and fiscal space. The emerging market response to the crises in the shape of comprehensive self-insurance with its implication of self-financed growth, topics to which the author contributed at the World Bank, are covered in the final part of the book. Developing countries can do much to spur growth provided that country leaders and policymakers aim for a sound intertemporal budget constraint for the government, implement the micropolicy trio of hard budgets, competition, and competitive real exchange rates, and take steps to manage volatility, especially from domestic sources. That is what emerges from the country stories. It is a policy agenda rife with political economy challenges; and there are no shortcuts.
