Transition and Institutions The Experience of Gradual and Late Reformers

This book is the first comprehensive assessment of the mortality crisis which has affected most economies in transition but which has remained so far largely unexplained. It reconciles long-term and short-term explanations of the crisis and makes use of special micro data-sets never used before. By providing a rigorous multidisciplinary analysis of this upsurge in mortality rates, the book hopes to contribute to the launch of vigorous policies to tackle this societal problem.

The gradual introduction of market reforms in China since 1978 and their subsequent massive and rapid adoption in the former Soviet bloc triggered an intense debate on the factors and policies which promote a smooth transition to a market economy. Particularly during its initial phase, such debate has focused on liberalization, privatization, and the macroeconomy of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and Russia. Other reforming economies and aspects increasingly recognized as key to a successful transition have received less attention in the academic literature. This volume attempts to fill the gap by reviewing the often- neglected role of initial structural and institutional conditions and their subsequent development during the course of the transition. The volume focuses in particular on China, Russia, and the often-ignored countries of Central Asia, Vietnam, and those economies - such as Cuba and North Korea - which are in the very early phases of the reform process.

1 - Structural and Institutional Factors in the Transition to the Market Economy: an Overview
2 - Russia: Inconsistent Shock Therapy with Weakening Institutions
3 - Reform Paths in Central Asian Transitional Economies
4 - The Chinese Road to the Market: Achievements and Long-term Sustainability
5 - Vietnam: Transition as a Socialist Project in East Asia
6 - The Tortuous Road to the Market in North Korea: Problems and Prospects
7 - Cuba: the Stalled Transition
8 - Economic Performance in Transitional Economies: the Role of Ownership, Incentives and Restructuring
9 - Unorthodox Ownership and Governance Structures in Transitional East Asia
10 - Transition Approaches, Institutions and Income Inequality
11 - Informal Institutions, Social Capital and Economic Transition: Reflections on a Neglected Dimension

Giovanni Andrea Cornia is Special Adviser for Research, UNICEF. Vladimir Popov is Visiting Professor in the Department of European and Russian Studies, Carleton University.