Eastern Europe at the turn of the twenty-first century: A guide to the economies in transition

Book abstract:

This book focuses on political and economic developments in seven Eastern European countries: Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. It examines how these states coped with the transition from Communist-era command economies to the modern market economies we know today. Early on, the writer makes the point that any distinction between economics and politics has become an increasingly 'artificial' one.

After the introduction, which provides both an overview and summary of each individual state, the book is structured into two major parts, the first comprising of seven chapters, each devoted to a different country, the second dealing with more general issues. Each separate chapter in part one deals, fairly systematically, with the political background of each country, including issues like general elections and minority populations. The chapters then turn to economic problems like privatisation, foreign aid and debt, agriculture and economic performance. Part two explores the question of moving from command to market economies more broadly, with work on the so-called 'big bang'/shock therapy' theory versus gradualism, and the privatization of industrial enterprises.

The book is aimed at political and development economists, as well as those with a general interest in the subject.

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