91984 - ECONOMICS OF TRANSITION IN EASTERN EUROPE

Contenuti

Syllabus Part I : Economics of Transition in Central Europe Lecture 1: Introduction

• Defining macro-economic terms

Lecture 2: Origins of economic decline in Eastern Europe

• Features of Stalinist systems, 1950s
• Soft budget constraint
• Shortage economy

Lecture 3: Pre-1990 attempts at economic reform and economic collapse.

• Pre-1989 economic reforms
• Import-led growth
• Foreign indebtedness
• Socialist market economy
• Collapse of Soviet-type systems

Lecture 4: Beginning of transition from command to market economy

• Strategies and priorities of economic transformation – the Washington consensus
• Macroeconomic stabilization and economic liberalization
• Shock-therapy vs. gradualism
• Economic recession, output fall

Lecture 5: Privatization

• Political constraints on privatization
• Centralized and decentralized privatization
• Modes of privatization - Voucher privatization, management and employee buy-outs, direct sales.
• Share of private sector in economies

Lecture 6: State-building and social effects of transition – the Baltics

• Re-birth of 3 nations
• Policy choices
• International influences

Lecture 7: State-building and social effects of transition – the Visegrad countries

• Priorities in the new welfare states
• Taxation, public spending

Lecture 8: Enterprise Development and Foreign Direct Investment

• Shock and recovery
• Growth of new firms
• Different business environments: Russia vs. Central Europe
• Foreign direct investment

Lecture 9: EU accession and Euro zone entry

• Accession effects on economic growth, FDI
• Maastricht criteria and new member states

Lecture 10: Impact of global economic crisis on CEE

• Varieties of capitalism
• Economic conditions prior to the “crash”
• Role of international financial institutions
• Lessons learned

Part II: Economics of Transition in Southeast Europe Lecture 11: Basic features of Yugoslav economy

• Basic features of Yugoslav economy prior to 1990s

Lecture 12: Economic systems of Romania, Bulgaria and Albania prior to the transition Lecture 13: The 1990s in ex-Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania Lecture 14: Privatization and FDI in the Balkans Lecture 15: Social effects of transition – migration, remittances, unemployment, labor market dynamics, healthcare, education. Lecture 16: EU integration and regional economic integration – Romania and Bulgaria, Western Balkans

• Trade integration
• Conditionality, institutional reform

  Lecture 17: Impact of global economic crisis on SEE

• Fiscal and monetary policy measures
• Euroization – causes and effects
• Poverty levels

  Lecture 18: Current and future trends in CEE and SEE

• Current outsourcing trends between west and east – industries, strategies
• Recent investment from China and the Middle East

Lectures 19 and 20: Student presentations, review

Testi/Bibliografia

Core Textbooks:

• Myant, Martin and Jan Drahokoupil, Transition Economies: Political Economy in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia,(2010) Wiley-Blackwell
• Aslund, Anders, How Capitalism was Built: The Transformation of Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia (2007) Cambridge University Press
• Bohle, Dorothee and Bela Greskovits, Capitalist Diversity on Europe’s Periphery. Cornell University Press, 2012
• Lavigne, Marie, The Economics of Transition: From Socialist Economy to Market Economy (1999) Macmillan
• Sznajder Lee, Aleksandra, Transnational Capitalism in East Central Europe’s Heavy Industry: From Flagship Enterprises to Subsidiaries (2016) University of Michigan Press
• R.J. Crampton. The Balkans Since the Second World War (Pearson, 2002)
• Will Bartlett. Europe's Troubled Region: Economic Development, Institutional Reform and Social Welfare in the Western Balkans (Routledge, 2008).
• Milica Uvalic. Serbia’s Transition: Towards a Better Future (Palgrave, 2010)

Metodi didattici

Lectures outlined in Power point presentations with abundant class participation

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

1. Mid-term exam - a choice of 3 out of 5 essay questions on the first 9 topics, in 2 hours.
2. Research project:
1. Research paper of 3,000-3,500 words plus bibliography on a topic chosen from the themes we will be covering in class
2. Oral presentation of main points of research paper (with power point) of 10 minutes
3. Final written exam – a choice of 5 out of 7 essay questions, in 3 hours.

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

Power point, on-line research of scholarly works

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Carolyn Ann Kadas