Varieties of Capitalism, Neoliberal Expansions and Social Effects in the Baltic Countries, Slovenia and Croatia: A Comparative Approach

Abstract

Europa je u posljednjih 40 godina doživjela »okretanje« tržištu na dvije razine. Prva je globalna »migratorna tehnologija« neoliberalizma koja se razvija od 1970-ih. Druga je tranzicija u središnjoj i istočnoj Europi u posljednjih dvadesetak godina. Mogu li se prepoznati alternativni razvojni putovi i modeli unutar zajedničke orijentacije tržištu i tržišnoj ekonomiji u Europi? Autori najprije ispituju fenomen neoliberalizma te se bave razmjerom u kojem su neoliberalne reforme primijenjene u pet odabranih država: Estoniji, Litvi, Latviji, Sloveniji i Hrvatskoj. Koriste se s dva kompatibilna konceptualna okvira: difuzijom javnih politika i Varieties of Capitalism (VoC) uz nadopunu političkih elemenata poput toka rane tranzicije. Posljednjih godina unutar VoC literature često se spominju Slovenija i Estonija kao dvije funkcionalne suprotnosti u središnjoj i istočnoj Europi. Usporedbom relevantnih indeksa, autori potvrđuju takvo viđenje. Litva se uz Estoniju pozicionira na liberalnom kraju spektra, a Hrvatska, srodna Sloveniji, na strateški koordiniranom modelu tipa kapitalizma. Latvija je potvrđena kao nekonzistentno profilirana. Na kraju, autori propituju socijalne učinke alternativnih putova tranzicije, usvojenih modela kapitalizma i provedenih reformi.Europe turned to the markets on two levels in the past 40 years. The first is a global »migratory technology« of neoliberalism that has been developing since the 1970-s. The second is the transition in Central and Eastern Europe in the last twenty years. Is it possible to identify alternative development paths and models inside the common market orientation and market economy trends in Europe? The authors first examine the phenomenon of neo-liberalism and deal with the extent to which the neoliberal reforms were implemented in five selected countries: Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia and Croatia. The authors use two compatible conceptual frameworks: public policy diffusion and Varieties of Capitalism (VoC), and complement this approach with political elements, including early transition developments. In recent years, VoC literature often referred to Slovenia (CME) and Estonia (LME) as two functional extremes in Central and Eastern Europe. Comparing the relevant indices, the authors confirm this view. Lithuania is found to be close to Estonia at the liberal market economy end of the spectrum, while Croatia is akin to Slovenia as a coordinated market economy. Latvia has been confirmed as inconsistently profiled. Ultimately, the authors investigate social effects of diverging paths to transition, implemented reforms and alternative models of capitalism in selected countries