Transition in Southeast Europe: Understanding Economic Development and Institutional Change

Abstract

Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. Terms of use: Documents in AbstractThe paper analyses the 20-year experience with transition in the SEE countries in a comparative framework, illustrating how these countries encountered difficulties in its implementation, despite having some of the best starting conditions in 1989 to implement a swift transition to a market economy. The paper recalls the initial conditions in the SEE region in 1989, macroeconomic performance and progress achieved in the various transition-related economic reforms. The international issues are also addressed related to the post-2000 integration of the SEE countries with the EU and among themselves. The paper also reflects on the main factors that are responsible for delays in transition in SEE related to political instability, delayed integration with the EU, and inappropriate economic policies.

Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation in Laggard Transitional Economies: A Case from Bosnia and Herzegovina

“…The major structural transformations, creation of fundamentally different institutions, and privatization and promotion of private-owned enterprises, which followed after the initial economic collapse in the early phases of transition, have gradually led to an increase in productivity and economic growth [1]. Whilst some of the early adopters became leaders of these systemic transformations and slowly caught up with their developed Western neighbors (CEEC who joined the European Union), the laggards, like Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH) and other Western Balkan countries, still experience sluggish and unstable economic growth [2]. The transition to a market economy in CEEC involved a substantial reallocation of labor and capital across economic sectors in order to increase overall efficiency.…”

Foreign Direct Investment into Transition Economies: Are the Balkans Different?

“…The disintegration of the Yugoslav federation led to the break-up of traditional economic and trade links, a very deep recession, delays in economic reforms and in integration of most countries with the EU (Uvalic, 2012a). Bulgaria and Romania also had unsatisfactory macroeconomic performance during much of the 1990s and delayed many fundamental economic reforms.…”

“…During the first half of the nineties, a period characterized by major political and economic instability, Acceleration in economic reforms also took place, even in countries that until 2000 had been lagging behind (Uvalic, 2010(Uvalic, , 2012a Kosovo has special treatment (in part due to its non-recognition by some EU member states).…”

FDI entry strategies and the impacts of economic freedom distance: Evidence from Nordic FDIs in transitional periphery of CIS and SEE

“…inherited work practices based on a state focused bureaucratic approach and their institutional context is also very challenging (Welter and Smallbone, 2011). On the other hand, in SEE economies, transition has been very turbulent due to civil war in former Yugoslavian republics as well as the persistent problem of high levels of corruption in Bulgaria and Romania despite being EU members (Uvalic, 2010). Therefore, managers of such firms have difficulties in adjusting to a competitive work environment driven by a western managerial approach (Alas et al, 2012).…”