In the Grip of Transition

The shift from a centrally planned economy to a market-based economy involves, amongst other elements, the restructuring of state-owned or privatized enterprises. Realigning product lines, adopting new technology and imposing sound finances are all important stages in the integration of enterprises into world markets.

This book analyzes the efficiency and equity of the economic restructuring in the two largest successor states of the Soviet Union, Russia and Ukraine. It raises important questions such as why these countries have been relatively slow to pursue restructuring policies, how the transition has affected labor markets and institutions, and how it impacted on poverty and social safety. The analysis is based on a careful examination of micro-level data, documenting the experiences of and interactions between individuals and institutions.

TILMAN BRUCK is Head of the Department of Development and Security at DIW Berlin (German Institute for Economic Research) and Professor of Development Economics at Humboldt-University of Berlin, Germany. He is also an IZA Research Fellow and a Visiting Researcher at the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Lisbon. His research interests include the behavior and well-being of individuals and households experiencing situations of extreme risk in developing and transition economies.

HARTMUT LEHMANN is Professor of Economic Policy in the Department of Economics at the University of Bologna, Italy,and Program Director of the IZA research area 'Labor Markets in Emerging and Transition Countries.' He is a WDI fellow and an IZA fellow. He is also a Senior Consultant to the World Bank and has been a consultant to the ILO, the OECD and the UNDP.