Fifteen Years of Transformation in the Post-Communist World

The collapse of the Soviet empire freed hundreds of millions of people from communism. In most of the post-communist world, political freedom was followed by economic liberalization. The transition from central planning to the free market was uneven, however. In the early days after the fall of communism, two schools of thought about economic reform emerged. Some economists argued for a rapid break with the past, whereas others favored a more gradual approach. With the passage of time, it is now clear that rapid reforms were on the whole better than gradual reforms. Countries that adopted farreaching reforms tended to experience higher growth rates and lower inflation and received more foreign investment. Inequality increased less among rapid reformers than among gradual reformers. The same is true with respect to poverty rates. Importantly, rapid reformers developed better institutions than countries that opted for gradualism. In fact, all of the rapid reformers developed into liberal democracies, whereas in many of the gradual reformers, such as Russia, small groups of super-wealthy oligarchs captured the state and dominated its economic decisionmaking. The efficiency of large-scale privatizations was not dependent on the speed but on the transparency and honesty of the process. Future reformers should not be afraid of adopting rapid reforms. To gain maximum benefits from economic reforms, however, they need to ensure that the privatization process is more transparent than it has been in the past. In countries where the state has been captured by a small clique of oligarchs, rapid reforms may be politically impossible in the short run. Still, liberalization of the business environment, especially with regard to small and mediumsized enterprises, could stimulate the economy without being seen as a threat by the ruling oligarchy

Recovery and Growth in Transition: A Decade of Evidence

This paper reviews a range of studies that examine differences in growth performance among transition countries. There is a consensus in the literature about the core elements of transition and the policies necessary for sustainable growth, although considerable differences remain about how to implement these policies and about their proper sequencing. The empirical work identifies stabilization and structural reforms (e.g., market liberalization, private ownership) as important determinants of growth, but underlines the role of initial conditions and institutions.There is divergent evidence, however, on the importance of specific reforms. Traditional factor inputs have as yet no role in explaining growth. Copyright 2002, International Monetary Fund

Trade liberalization and the transition to a market economy

The focus of this paper is on the transition from a trade regime in a socialist economy to one based on a (more) liberal market economy. Thus, there is no need to detail the past and current nature of trade institutions, patterns and performance. However, the sorts of problems that a transition policy must address emanate from the initial conditions. This paper outlines the framework of trade policy, noting the role trade plays in development, the main elements of the policy package, and their relation to the overall economic policy picture. It summarizes the main conclusions from trade liberalization experiences worldwide, includes some discussion of their applicability to formerly-socialist economies, and discusses external constraints and opportunities presented by GATT and the Uruguay Round and relations with the EEC. The role of the government in a liberalized economy is also discussed. Finally, the paper concludes by presenting and analyzing the principal differences between Eastern European countries and others regarding trade liberalization, and discusses how the generally advised path toward trade liberalization would be altered in Eastern Europe.Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,TF054105-DONOR FUNDED OPERATION ADMINISTRATION FEE INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT,Trade Policy,Transport and Trade Logistics

European trade patterns after the transition

This paper concentrates on geographic direction of trade only. It applies a fairly conventional gravity model technique to answer the question: What would be the geographic pattern of trade of East and Central Europe (ECE) if their trade were determined by the same factors as those that affect market economies? It consists of the following sections: (a) a general introduction to this question and the paper's objectives; (b) a presentation of the model and the estimation results for a sample of non-socialist countries; and (c) a report on the ECE simulations. The paper concludes by predicting a dramatic shift in trade patterns and discusses the implications of such a shift.TF054105-DONOR FUNDED OPERATION ADMINISTRATION FEE INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Trade Policy,Trade and Services

Production Technology Differences Between Canadian-Owned and Foreign-Owned Firms Using Translog-Production Functions

The discussion of foreign ownership in Canada frequently refers to a conventional view that foreign-owned firms are larger, more capital-intensive, pay higher wages and are more efficient. Evidence for these characterizations has unfortunately come from comparisons of partial productivity measures of labor or measures of average capital-intensity, with all the uncertainty that this entails. It is the object of this paper to compare the technology characteristics of Canadian and US-owned establishments in Canada by means of a translog production function estimate, utilizing micro level data. While we find strong evidence for the view that the two groups operate with different technologies, and that US-owned establishments are larger, we do not find support for the conventional view that US-owned establishments are more capital-intensive, have higher labor productivity, or lower costs of production.

IS THE TRANSITION OVER?

While many observers thought it was premature for Czech Prime Minister Klaus to suggest in 1995 the transition was over except for fine-tuning , as we approach the 20th year after the fall of the Berlin Wall on Nov. 9, 1989,-and the 18th after the dissolution of the Soviet Union at Byelovezha- it is surely relevant to ask the question again. The first new contribution of this paper is to show that ,for all practical purposes, the post-communist transition is over in eight or nine early reformers of Central Europe and the Baltics; but it is not over for other transition countries –though many are close, and only a few very far behind. The second and perhaps more important novelty of this paper is that it goes beyond the qualitative expert judgments in earlier studies addressing this question. With one or two exceptions, earlier studies did not start with an explicit analytical definition of transition and its end-point, and evidence provided was selective often mixing partial quantitative measures with qualitative judgments-albeit well reasoned ones. This paper proposes an analytical definition of transition and its end-point , as well as ways this can be measured quantitatively without undertaking impossibly massive econometric exercises .transition, efficient allocation, share of consumption, share of industry, direction of trade, trade openness, comparative advantage

How Decision Makers’ Career Histories Impact the Gender Diversity of the CEO Successor Candidate Pool

Scholars have explored when/why women are chosen as CEOs, and what factors explain the presence of women in the TMT, but little is known about when/why firms have women executives in their internal CEO successor candidate pool. This omission is consequential, since there are firm performance benefits to having a woman CEO who is an internal hire, and because being a CEO successor candidate helps ensure a woman executive has had skill-building opportunities that will help her thrive when she becomes CEO. To address this, my dissertation explores two research questions. First, when and why do women directors positively impact gender diversity of the CEO successor candidate pool. Second, when and why do men directors positively impact gender diversity of the CEO successor candidate pool. I build an according theoretical model predicting gender diversity of the CEO successor candidate pool, and test this model using data from the Center for Executive Succession (CES), and publicly available information on professional backgrounds of individual board directors. Findings from this dissertation contribute to the trickle-down effect literature, offer insights on which men executives are likely to be allies of gender diversity initiatives, and help scholars build better theory to explain how board directors handle the responsibility of regularly planning for CEO succession in advance

Вплив сировини на зміну кристалічної структури пряників в процесі зберігання

The paper analyzes modern methods for studying the staling process of flour confectionery products, namely, X-ray diffraction analysis, X-ray diffraction, and differential scanning colorimetry. Since the crystalline structure of finished flour confectionery products is formed directly by starch, sugar and other carbohydrates, and the processes associated with the moisture content in them affect their storage. To conduct research on staling processes, the X-ray phase analysis method is used on a DRON-UM-1 diffractometer (Russia), and it revealed the degree and types of deformation of the crystal structure of substances. Diffraction maxima of starch are studied at reflection angles in the range of 10–30°. The objects of research are the «Bdzhilka» and «Imbyrni Pikantni» author’s gingerbreads, and the «Pivnichni» gingerbreads are chosen as the base sample for comparison.The gingerbread recipes contain the following raw materials:– «Bdzhilka» – peeled rye flour, fermented rye malt, artificial honey, sunflower oil, skimmed milk powder, apple butter, bee pollen, creeping thyme inflorescence powder;– «Imbyrni Pikantni» – peeled rye flour, rye malt extract, invert syrup, dried cheese whey, ginger root powder, elderberry inflorescence powder.As a result of X-ray phase analysis, the destruction degree of the starch crystal lattice in the pulp structure of the developed gingerbread is studied. The interaction of starch with other carbohydrates and their influence on the formation of the final crystalline structure of finished products and changes in the crystal structure during storage are analyzed. The processes of staling up of fresh gingerbread, after 2 and 4 months of storage, which are affected by the processes of self-association, hydrotreatment of mono- and disaccharides, degradation and retrograde of starch, are studied.The features of the staling process after 2 and 4 months of storage using the analysis of diffraction peak peaks are revealed. The retrogradation process of starch in finished products based on the obtained diffractograms is analyzed and the ability of the used natural additives in gingerbreads to extend their shelf life is proved. The results of these studies can be implemented in the confectionery industry in order to produce products with a long shelf life.В работе проведен анализ современных методов исследования процесса черствения мучных кондитерских изделий, а именно рентгенофазового анализа, дифракции рентгеновских лучей, дифференциальной сканирующей колориметрии. Поскольку кристаллическую структуру готовых мучных кондитерских изделий формируют непосредственно крахмал, сахар и другие углеводы, а процессы, связанные с содержанием в них влаги, влияют на их хранение. Для проведения исследования процессов черствения использован метод ренгенофазного анализа на дифрактометре ДРОН-УМ-1 (Россия), выявляющий степень и типы деформации кристаллической структуры веществ. Дифракционные максимумы крахмала исследовано при значениях углов отражения в пределах 10–30°. Объектами исследования были авторские пряники «Пчелка» и «Имбирные пикантные», а за базовый образец к сравнению избраны пряники «Северные».В рецептуру предложенных пряников вносили следующее сырье:– «Пчелка» – мука ржаная обдирная, солод ржаной ферментированный, мед искусственный, масло подсолнечное, молоко сухое обезжиренное, повидло яблочное, пчелиная пыльца, порошок соцветий тимьяна ползучего;– «Имбирные пикантные» – мука ржаная обдирная, ржаной солодовый экстракт, инвертный сироп, сухая подсырная сыворотка, порошок корня имбиря, порошок соцветий бузины.В результате проведения рентгенофазового анализа исследована степень разрушения кристаллической решетки крахмала в структуре мякоти разработанных пряников. Проанализировано взаимодействие крахмала с другими углеводами и их влияние на формирование окончательной кристаллической структуры готовых изделий и изменение кристаллической структуры в течение хранения. Изучены процессы черствения пряников свежих, после 2 и 4 месяцев хранения, на которые влияют процессы самоассоциации, гидратообразование моно- и дисахаридов, деградации и ретроградации крахмала.Выявлены особенности процесса черствения после 2 и 4 месяцев хранения с помощью анализа пиков дифрактограмм. Проанализирован процесс ретроградации крахмала в готовых изделиях на основе полученных дифрактограмм и доказана способность использованных натуральных добавок в пряниках продлевать срок их хранения. Результаты данных исследований можно внедрять в кондитерской промышленности с целью производства продукции с длительным сроком хранения.В роботі проведено аналіз сучасних методів дослідження процесу черствіння борошняних кондитерських виробів, а саме ренгенофазного аналізу, дифракції рентгенівських променів, диференціальної скануючої колориметрії. Оскільки кристалічну структуру готових борошняних кондитерських виробів формують безпосередньо крохмаль, цукор та інші вуглеводи, а процеси, пов’язані з утриманням в них вологи, впливають на їх зберігання. Для проведення дослідження процесів черствіння використано метод ренгенофазного аналізу на дифрактометрі ДРОН-УМ-1 (Росія), що виявляє ступінь та типи деформації кристалічної структури речовин. Дифракційні максимуми крохмалю досліджено при значеннях кутів відбиття в межах 10–30°. Об’єктами дослідження були авторські пряники «Бджілка» та «Імбирні пікантні», а за базовий зразок до порівняння обрано пряники «Північні». До рецептури запропонованих пряників вносили наступну сировину:– «Бджілка» – борошно житнє обдирне, солод житній ферментований, мед штучний, олія соняшникова, молоко сухе знежирене, повидло яблучне, пилок бджолиний, порошок суцвіть тим’яну повзкого;– «Імбирні пікантні» – борошно житнє обдирне, житній солодовий екстракт, інвертний сироп, суха підсирна сироватка, порошок кореня імбиру, порошок суцвіть бузини.В результаті проведення ренгенофазного аналізу досліджено ступінь руйнування кристалічної решітки крохмалю в структурі м’якуша розроблених пряників. Проаналізовано взаємодію крохмалю з іншими вуглеводами та їх вплив на формування остаточної кристалічної структури готових виробів та зміни кристалічної структури впродовж зберігання. Вивчено процеси черствіння пряників свіжих, після 2 і 4 місяців зберігання, на які впливають процеси самоасоціації, гідроутворення моно- та дицукридів, деградації та ретроградації крохмалю. Виявлено особливості процесу черствіння після 2 і 4 місяців зберігання за допомогою аналізу піків дифрактограм. Проаналізовано процес ретроградації крохмалю у готових виробах на основі отриманих дифрактограм та доведено здатність використаних натуральних добавок у пряниках подовжувати термін їх зберігання. Результати даних досліджень можна впроваджувати у кондитерській промисловості з метою виробництва продукції з подовженим терміном зберігання