This is an examination of the progress that Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia have made in the process of transformation since the collapse of the Soviet bloc. Looking at issues such as democratization, the transition to a market economy and the new orientations in foreign policy, this book provides a report of th
This book focuses not only on economic and political transformation since the demise of communism in Eastern and Central Europe, but also on the relationships between economic organization, social patterns and institutional change. The changes in political structure and policies of economic reform have in turn resulted in changes in social institutions and patterns of social relations. The authors look at social relations under the old regimes to understand the current social transformation. They consider economic restructuring both in the context of social change and in terms of its consequences for society, using case studies from the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. The impact of economic changes on new forms of institutional arrangements, social patterns and organization are also discussed taking into account privatization, employment, social welfare, property and industrial relations. This new book will be welcomed by economists, political scientists and sociologists working in the area of transition.
First published in 1997, this collection of articles and essays analyses the political economy of reform and change in Eastern Europe during the years of Gorbachev’s perestroika and the years immediately following the fall of the Berlin wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Written by Polish economist Jan Winiecki, between 1984 and 1996, this work explores the issue of the feasibility of reform and change during the period of decline and collapse of communist economic order and, later, the emergence of the capitalist economic order in the post-communist Eastern Europe. Split into three parts, the work considers firstly the failures of Gorbachev’s political economy of reform, secondly the determining factors in the collapse of the Soviet system, and finally the feasibility of the systematic change which began in the wake of its collapse.
This book presents the most important areas of economic transformation in East-Central Europe. It describes the short experience of statehood of the newly independent states and deals with two topical problems of the leading reforming countries: with fiscal policy and industrial policy.
This volume makes JEC-commissioned expert studies of economic developments in East-Central Europe available to business people, educators and students. Coverage includes economic, political and social reform issues, regional relations, and the impact of Western assistance programmes.
The seemingly irreversible socialist experiment in East- Central Europe came to a sudden, largely unexpected, end in the late 1980s. That collapse generated important economic and political consequences. A broad historical and international perspective is needed to understand the ongoing transformation in the region.
A concise account of the breakdown of communist rule in Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia and a comparative analysis of their transition to pluralist democratic politics and market economies. A major theme is the linkage of politics and economics: the book shows how both the failure of economic reforms in Poland and Hungary, and the resistance to economic reform contributed to undermining the communist monopoly of power, and how the new politics of multi-party pluralism of the post-communist era interact with the unprecedented task of radical economic transformation. An appendix summarizes the three countries' electoral systems.
From a widely published expert in the field, this major survey reviews two centuries of modernization and examines the dramatic changes in the economies of Eastern Europe. This is a new and comprehensive overview which incorporates fresh research and recent changes to the region to trace this economic history of Eastern Europe within the wider political and ideological context Uniquely taking the broader historical picture into account, David Turnock brings together the entire scope of the modernization process, from the first phase of modern national development in the Balkans and the impact of imperial systems on the area as a whole, to the feeling of 'unfinished business' at the end of the Second World War. He continues up to the present-day state of transition, evaluating the contrasts in the region between the northern and southern states, domestic division between dynamic and backward areas, and the increasing emphasis on the opening up of frontier regions. Wide in scope and including detailed and informative chronologies, this book will prove an invaluable asset to students of European history and economics.
This thought-provoking book investigates the political and economic transformation that has taken place over the past three decades in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (CESEE) since the fall of the Iron Curtain. Through an examination of both the successes and shortcomings of post communist reform and the challenges ahead for the region, it explores the topical issues of economic transition and integration, and highlights lessons to be learned.
In art era of ever-increasing national consciousness combined, paradoxically, with pressures for regional economic integration, this thought-provoking and exhaustively researched volume will challenge readers' assumptions about optimal paths to national economic development. Drawing on archival sources as well as published materials in eight langua