IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/aea/jecper/v5y1991i4p123-38.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Microeconomic Issues in the Transition to a Market Economy

Author

Listed:
  • Jan Svejnar

Abstract

The socialist system introduced microeconomic distortions that probably transcend those observed in the third world. The recent developments in Poland, Yugoslavia, and the Soviet Union also support the hypothesis that macro stabilization will be difficult to achieve in the transforming socialist economies in the absence of adequate micro adjustments. In this paper, I address what I consider to be the most important micro issues related to the transition from socialist to market economies. First I summarize the initial microeconomic conditions, covering labor, capital, and energy markets; the product markets, industrial organization, and trade; and the market for land and housing. Then, I describe the main changes that have taken place in the early stages of the transition. Finally, I discuss the micro policy agenda that needs to be addressed if the transition is to be successful

Suggested Citation

  • Jan Svejnar, 1991. "Microeconomic Issues in the Transition to a Market Economy," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 5(4), pages 123-138, Fall.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:jecper:v:5:y:1991:i:4:p:123-38
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/jep.5.4.123
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/jep.5.4.123
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Granick,David, 1987. "Job Rights in the Soviet Union," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521332958.
    2. Coricelli, Fabrizio & Rocha, Roberto de Rezende, 1991. "Stabilization programs in Eastern Europe : a comparative analysis of the Polish and Yugoslav programs of 1990," Policy Research Working Paper Series 732, The World Bank.
    3. Hare, Paul G & Hughes, Gordon, 1991. "Competitiveness and Industrial Restructuring in Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland," CEPR Discussion Papers 543, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    4. Estrin, Saul & Jones, Derek C. & Svejnar, Jan, 1987. "The productivity effects of worker participation: Producer cooperatives in western economies," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 11(1), pages 40-61, March.
    5. Gregory, Paul R & Kohlhase, Janet E, 1988. "The Earnings of Soviet Workers: Evidence from the Soviet Interview Project," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 70(1), pages 23-35, February.
    6. M Schaffer, 1991. "A Note in the Polish State-Owned Enterprise Sector in 1990," CEP Discussion Papers dp0036, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Debra Moore Patterson, 1996. "Reform in Eastern Europe: A General Equilibrium Model with Distortions in Relative Prices and Factor Markets," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 29(2), pages 457-472, May.
    2. John Bonin & Mark E. Schaffer, 1999. "Revisiting Hungary's Bankruptcy Episode," CERT Discussion Papers 9906, Centre for Economic Reform and Transformation, Heriot Watt University.
    3. Li, Yang & Tang, Yujie, 2021. "A dynamic capabilities perspective on pro-market reforms and university technology transfer in a transition economy," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    4. Fardmanesh, Mohsen & Tan, Li, 2003. "Wage and price control policies in transition economies," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(1), pages 173-200, February.
    5. AfDB AfDB, 1997. "Working Paper 35 - Privatization of Public Enterprises in Zambia: An Evaluation of the Policies, Procedures and Experiences," Working Paper Series 2173, African Development Bank.
    6. Choy, James P., 2020. "Kompromat: A theory of blackmail as a system of governance," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    7. Debra Patterson, 1999. "An open-economy transition model," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 5(1), pages 24-36, February.
    8. Anderson, John E., 2001. "Emerging Housing Markets in Moldova," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 10(3), pages 419-428, September.
    9. Fardmanesh, Mohsen & Tan, Li, 1996. "Wage and Price Control Policies in Socialist Transitional Economies," Center Discussion Papers 28515, Yale University, Economic Growth Center.
    10. Elitsa R. Banalieva & Kimberly A. Eddleston & Thomas M. Zellweger, 2015. "When do family firms have an advantage in transitioning economies? Toward a dynamic institution-based view," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(9), pages 1358-1377, September.
    11. Johnston, Richard S. & Zhang, Zhengkun, 1998. "A Contribution to the Theory of Price Regulations and Commodity Bundling with an Application to the Case of China," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 142-149, March.
    12. Wang, Qingbin, 1994. "Modeling China's household food demand in the transition toward a market economy," ISU General Staff Papers 1994010108000011518, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    13. Richard Henry & Karl Voltaire, 1995. "Food marketing in transition in eastern and central Europe," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 11(3), pages 273-280.
    14. Barbara Roberts & Steve Thompson, 2003. "Entry and Exit in a Transition Economy: The Case of Poland," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 22(3), pages 225-243, May.
    15. John Marangos, 2005. "A Political Economy Approach to the Neoclassical Gradualist Model of Transition," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(2), pages 263-293, April.
    16. Christoph Bühler & Dirk Konietzka, 2008. "The transition from school to work in Russia during and after socialism: change or continuity?," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2008-018, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    17. AfDB AfDB, 1997. "Working Paper 35 - Privatization of Public Enterprises in Zambia: An Evaluation of the Policies, Procedures and Experiences," Working Paper Series 2253, African Development Bank.
    18. Andrew Mwaba & Caleb Fundaga, 1997. "Working Paper 35 - Privatization of Public Enterprises in Zambia: An Evaluation of the Policies, Procedures and Experiences," Working Paper Series 169, African Development Bank.
    19. Robert S. Chase, 1997. "Markets for Communist Human Capital: Returns to Education and Experience in the Czech Republic and Slovakia," Working Papers 770, Economic Growth Center, Yale University.
    20. Brzezicka, Justyna & Wisniewski, Radoslaw & Figurska, Marta, 2018. "Disequilibrium in the real estate market: Evidence from Poland," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 515-531.
    21. Kan, Viktoriya & カン, ビクトリヤ, 2010. "Regional Determinants of New Firm Formation in a Transition Economy: The Case of Uzbekistan," PIE/CIS Discussion Paper 490, Center for Intergenerational Studies, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Malkova, Olga, 2020. "Did Soviet elderly employment respond to financial incentives? Evidence from pension reforms," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    2. Karp, Larry & Stefanou, Spiro, 1991. "Polish Agriculture in Transition: Does it Hurt to be Slapped by an Invisible Hand?," CUDARE Working Papers 198594, University of California, Berkeley, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    3. World Bank, 2003. "The Russian Labor Market : Moving from Crisis to Recovery," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 15007, December.
    4. Raiser, Martin, 1992. "Soft budget constraints: An institutional interpretation of stylised facts in economic transformation in Central Eastern Europe," Kiel Working Papers 549, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    5. Linz, Susan J., 2004. "Motivating Russian workers: analysis of age and gender differences," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 261-289, July.
    6. John S. Earle & Klara Z. Sabirianova, 2002. "How Late to Pay? Understanding Wage Arrears in Russia," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 20(3), pages 661-707, July.
    7. J. David Brown & John S. Earle, 2002. "Job Reallocation and Productivity Growth under Alternative Economic Systems and Policies: Evidence from the Soviet Transition," CERT Discussion Papers 0208, Centre for Economic Reform and Transformation, Heriot Watt University.
    8. Schmieding, Holger, 1991. "From socialism to an institutional void: Notes on the nature of the transformation crisis," Kiel Working Papers 480, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    9. Naujoks, Petra & Schmidt, Klaus-Dieter, 1995. "Foreign direct investment and trade in transition countries: Tracing links – A sequel," Kiel Working Papers 704, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    10. Koop, Gary & Osiewalski, Jacek & Steel, Mark F J, 2000. "A Stochastic Frontier Analysis of Output Level and Growth in Poland and Western Economies," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 33(3), pages 185-202.
    11. Hervé Charmettant & Yvan Renou, 2021. "Cooperative conversion and communalization: Closely observed interactions between the material and the mental," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 92(1), pages 55-77, March.
    12. Alexander Muravyev, 2008. "Human capital externalities Evidence from the transition economy of Russia1," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 16(3), pages 415-443, July.
    13. Kyui, Natalia, 2016. "Expansion of higher education, employment and wages: Evidence from the Russian Transition," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 68-87.
    14. Morley Gunderson & Jeffrey Sack & James McCartney & David Wakely & Jonathan Eaton, 1995. "Employee Buyouts in Canada," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 33(3), pages 417-442, September.
    15. Lobanov, M. & Zvezdanovic Lobanova, J. & Zvezdanovic, M., 2022. "Typologization of industrial systems in the countries of Central-Eastern and South-Eastern Europe," Journal of the New Economic Association, New Economic Association, vol. 56(4), pages 92-122.
    16. Schmieding, Holger, 1991. "External protection for the emerging market economies? The case for financial liberalisation instead of import barriers in Eastern Europe," Kiel Working Papers 498, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    17. Sebastián Berazategui & Emilio Landinelli & Daniel Ramírez, 2013. "Una comparación del comportamiento innovador entre Cooperativas de Trabajo y Empresas Capitalistas en Uruguay," Documentos de Investigación Estudiantil (students working papers) 13-02, Instituto de Economía - IECON.
    18. Mark C. Foley, 1997. "Labor Market Dynamics in Russia," Working Papers 780, Economic Growth Center, Yale University.
    19. Barry Reilly, 1999. "The gender pay gap in Russia during the transition, 1992‐96," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 7(1), pages 245-264, March.
    20. Vontalge, Alan L., 1991. "A feasibility study of swine producer management cooperatives," ISU General Staff Papers 1991010108000018168, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • P21 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies - - - Planning, Coordination, and Reform

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:aea:jecper:v:5:y:1991:i:4:p:123-38. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Michael P. Albert (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/aeaaaea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.