Transition Economies: Political Economy in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia Political Economy in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia

Global business managers will explore the economic transformation in former communist countries of Eastern and Central Europe and countries of the former Soviet Union with this text. It takes them from the end of central planning to the capitalist varieties of the present. It covers differences between countries in terms of economic performance and integration into the world economy. The chapters examine these differences in terms of historical backgrounds, location and policies pursued. Attention is placed on state forms and the role of the state in development, to political forms and interest representation and to the development of new forms of business organisation. This will provide global business managers with a basis for identifying and explaining changes between groupings of countries in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

Introduction Part I:  The political economy of state socialism Chapter 1:  The system of state socialism Chapter 2:  The successes and failures of central planning Chapter 3:  From reform to breakdown Part II:  Macro-economic transformations: From shock to recovery Chapter 4:  The courses of transition Part III:  Transition: Policies and alternatives Chapter 5:  A strategy for transition Chapter 6:  Alternatives and adaptations Part IV:  The state Chapter 7:  State capacity and the rule of law Chapter 8:  State consolidation: Russia in a comparative perspective Chapter 9:  Economic role of the state Chapter 10:  Welfare states and regimes Part V:  Micro-economic evolution: New forms of business Chapter 11:  Enterprises: Shock and survival Chapter 12:  The growth of new business Chapter 13:  Privatization Chapter 14:  A new banking system Chapter 15:  Enterprises in the period of economic recovery Part VI:   Conclusions Chapter 16: Emerging Varieties of Capitalism Chapter 17: The Financial Crisis and a Verdict on Transition Data appendix References