While output declined in virtually all transition economies in the initial years, the speed and extent of the recovery that followed has varied widely across these countries. The contrast between the more and less successful transitions, the latter largely in the former Soviet Union, raises many questions about the relative roles played by adverse initial conditions, external factors, and reform strategies. This paper summarizes the macroeconomic performance of the transition economies. We first review the initial conditions confronting these economies, the reform strategy that was proposed, and the associated controversies that arose a decade ago. We then account for the widely different outcomes, highlighting the role of exogenous factors and the macroeconomic and structural policies adopted by the countries. We find that both stabilization policies and structural reforms, particularly privatization, contributed to the growth recovery. We also conclude that the faster is the speed of reforms, the quicker is the recovery and the higher is growth.
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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number
7664.
Length: Date of creation: Apr 2000 Date of revision: Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:7664
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Find related papers by JEL classification: P2 - Economic Systems - - Socialist Systems and Transition Economies P3 - Economic Systems - - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions
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Philippe Aghion & Olivier J. Blanchard, 1994.
"On the Speed of Transition in Central Europe,"
NBER Chapters,
in: NBER Macroeconomics Annual 1994, Volume 9, pages 283-330
National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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