Going Global: Transition from Plan to Market in the World Economy Book

"This book presents a careful and advanced analysis of liberalization of socialist economics into the global trading and financial systems. The essays collected in this book, as well as the excellent introduction, will be of great value to both the scholar and the general audience interested in transition." -- Andrei Shleifer, Department of Economics, Harvard University The transition of the former socialist and otherwise centrally planned economies into the world trading and financial system has become a major concern to both policymakers and social scientists. In this book experts from diverse economies address the principal issues raised by this transition. The chapters, which cover fourteen countries of East and Central Europe, the former Soviet Union, and Asia, are the result of a three-year research project. Although the contributors share a unity of design and analysis, each author focuses on the issues most relevant to the country or countries under discussion. In her introductory essay, project leader Padma Desai synthesizes the findings and cuts through recent analytical confusion over such issues as shock therapy versus gradualism. Rather than advocate the faster the better, she discusses the possible difficulty of sustaining rapid transition reforms and globalization in the face of rising unemployment. The countries discussed are the Czech Republic, Hungary, the German Democratic Republic (now eastern Germany), Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, China, Vietnam, and India. Contributors: The Czech Republic, Josef C. Brada and A. M. Kutan. Hungary, Andras Blaho and Peter Gal. East Germany, Jürgen von Hagen. Poland, Stanislaw Wellisz. Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, Kalev Kukk. Finland, Urpo Kivikari. Russia, Padma Desai. Kazakhstan, Heiner Flassbeck, Lutz Hoffman, and Ludger Lindlar. Uzbekistan, Michael Connolly. China, Richard S. Eckaus. Vietnam, David Dollar and Borje Ljunggren. India, Manmohan Agarwal.Read More