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A Normal Country: Russia After Communism

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  • Shleifer, Andrei
  • Treisman, Daniel

Abstract

During the 1990s, Russia underwent an extraordinary transformation from a communist dictatorship to a multi-party democracy, from a centrally planned economy to a market economy, and from a belligerent adversary of the West to a cooperative partner. Yet a consensus in the US circa 2000 viewed Russia as a disastrous and threatening failure, and the 1990s as a decade of catastrophe for its citizens. Analyzing a variety of economic and political data, we demonstrate a large gap between this perception and the facts. In contrast to the common image, by the late 1990s Russia had become a typical middle-income capitalist democracy.
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Suggested Citation

  • Shleifer, Andrei & Treisman, Daniel, 2005. "A Normal Country: Russia After Communism," Scholarly Articles 33078568, Harvard University Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hrv:faseco:33078568
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    References listed on IDEAS

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