Market structure and economic transition in the Baltic Republics

Each of the four countries analyzed in this study has gone through a transition period since the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990’s. Each has tried different strategies to change their economies and each has different results. The purpose of this paper is to explore and compare the market structure of the four countries 10 years the after transition started. The data for the study comes from the Business Environment and Economic Performance study (BEEPS) 2002 sponsored by the World Bank. While the BEEPS data does not allow us to analyze the effectiveness of the different strategies employed, the data does allow us to compare 2002 market structures and thus the results of the transition.market structure, economic transition, Baltic Republics, BEEPS study

Paul Revere\u27s Ride : The Two Sentinels

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-ps/1580/thumbnail.jp

Perceptions Of Corruption In Central Asian Countries

Property rights are a basic tenant of a free market economy, and when these rights are in jeopardy from crime and corruption, a free market system falters.  The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the World Bank have developed a methodology to study transition economies.  The Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS II 2002) has gathered on a variety of topics from 23 transition economies.  This paper uses the BEEPS data to examine the perceptions of Corruption and State Capture in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan

Corruption In The Baltic State Region

The corruption studied here includes illegal, immoral, or dishonest acts that undermine economic and government activities.  This gray area of economic activity is often referred to as the “underground economy,” and the number of individuals and the amounts of money involved can only be ascertained by educated guesses.  Corruption is used to mean a state of progressive putrefaction; on a large scale corruption curtails a country’s ability to grow efficiently and effectively.  The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the World Bank have developed a methodology to study transition economies.  Through one-on-one interviews the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS II 2002) gathered information from business owners and managers on a variety of topics in 23 transition economies.  This paper uses the BEEPS data to examine the perceptions of corruption in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland

Serenade To Be Near Thee

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-me/1350/thumbnail.jp

Balkan Corruption Perception: Impediments To Competitive Activity In Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, FYROM, Serbia/Montenegro, And Slovenia

Corruption exists around the world in various forms. This paper examines the extent of political corruption in the countries that were formerly known as Yugoslavia. Data from the World Bank Institute and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Business Environment and Economic Performance Study (BEEPS) was used to examine the extent of corruption in these five regions from 2002 to 2005. Results show less corruption in Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia than in FYROM (former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), Serbia, and Montenegro. Overall all countries appear to have less corruption in 2005 than in 2002

A Comparison Of Corruption Perceptions: The Czech Republic And Sloakia

When the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1989 Czechoslovakia regained its independence from Soviet domination as a result of a so called “velvet revolution.” Four years later in 1993 the two parts of Czechoslovakia separated in a “velvet divorce” to become two independent states:  The Czech Republic and Slovakia. Slovakia was at the time less developed than the Czech Republic. Previous studies of corruption indicate that the less developed a country is the more corruption would be expected. This study uses data from the Business Environment and Economic Performance Survey (BEEPS) of the World Bank and the European Bank for reconstruction and Development to explore perceptions of corruption in the two countries

Corruption Perceptions in the Caucasus: Impediments to Business Activity in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia

Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia were bound together under Soviet direction for most of the twentieth century. When the veneer of centralized control was wiped away in the 1990’s, political, economic, and ethnic differences re-emerged after decades of being suppressed. This paper utilizes the Business Environmental and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) data from 2002, 2005, and 2009 studies gathered by a joint initiative of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank to assess the environment for private enterprise and business development in transitioning economies. Crime and Corruption categories of the BEEPS studies were examined teasing out the shades of similarities and differences between and among the three countries. A series of BEEPS questions about “informal gift/payment expectations or requests” for a variety of business services or requirements reveals some of the impediments to conducting business as these countries moved away from a command economy. The paper shows the shifting importance in the 2002-2009 time period of these subtle and not so subtle extraction of payments for businesses both within these three countries and among the three countries. Changes were often not in a consistent pattern; explanations for the inconsistencies are beyond the scope of this paper.The general trend for the three countries showed Georgian firms perceive fewer informal gift/payment expectations or requests than Armenian firms. Armenian firms perceive fewer informal gift/payment expectations or requests than Azerbaijan firms. For example, in 2009 no Georgian firms, 15% of Armenian firms, and 52% of Azerbaijan firms reported an informal gift/payment expectation or request for permit applications. In addition, no Georgian firms, 10% of Armenian firms, and 21% of Azerbaijan firms stated an informal gift/payment was expected or requested when applying for an operating license. Another trend revealed fewer informal gift/payment expectations or requests in 2009 than in 2002. However, occasionally firms reporting such expectations or requests spiked in 2005. For example, in 2002 18% of firms, in 2005 21% of firms, and in 2009 eight percent of firms revealed informal gift/payment expectations or requests for an electrical connection. During tax inspections 53% of firms in 2002, 62% of firms in 2005, and 15% of firms in 2009 received informal gift/payment expectations or requests. Firms considering exporting to these countries should be aware informal gift/payment expectations or requests may be experienced when importing to or setting up joint ventures in these countries. The prudent firm will conduct their own research on local business conditions before doing business in a country. For many issues it appears these corrupt practices may be declining so the outlook in the future is positive

CORRUPTION AND OBSTACLES FOR CONDUCTING BUSINESS IN FORMER FRENCH WEST AFRICA

This study examines the extent of corruption and obstacles to conducting business in some former French West Africa countries. Methodology: This study uses business owner’s and mangers perceptions about the use of gifts or informal payments and obstacles to conducting business in five African countries.  Data comes from the World Bank Institute and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s Business Environment and Economic Performance study.  Data from Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Senegal, and Togo were examined.  Univariate general linear analysis was used to discover statistical differences between factors by country. Main Findings: Results show Senegalese managers and owners perceived the lowest obstacles to conducting business among the five countries.  Togo business managers and owners are slightly less positive about obstacles they face in their businesses.  Businesses in the five countries on average pay about eight percent of their annual sales as gifts/informal payments. Limitations: The study uses data that is about ten years old.  The political and economic environment may have changed in these countries since data collection. Social Implications: The significant level of obstacles business faces in these countries may significantly reduce foreign direct investment in these countries.  Electricity is an obstacle in most of these countries reducing the ability if not the interest in conducting business. Originality/Novelty of the Study: The French strategy in this region for three hundred years was to rule through the military not the development of economic systems.  The results of this strategy may still be apparent in the number and degree of obstacles facing business only 50 years after independence