Suchergebnisse

Following the collapse of planning, new small and medium-sized firms rapidly emerged in all transition economies. Using firm level data, we investigate the interaction between the widespread opportunities for new business activities such firms faced and their business environment. The business environment includes physical infrastructure, the availability of an educated labour force, provision of administrative and judicial services, the control of corruption and crime, and the stability of the macroeconomic environment. By comparing how different elements of the business environment affected firms in formerly planned economies with those in economies outside transition, we document not only the challenges faced by transition firms but also the effects of the planning legacy.

A major theme in accounts of the transitional recession and delayed convergence in post-communist economies is the role of institutions. Yet via unification, East Germany had immediate access to credible, high quality institutions. This paper argues that success in a capitalist economy depends not only on high quality institutions but also on finding one's niche in the international division of labour. East Germany's experience highlights the long shadow cast by the period under communism over the economy's ability to find its comparative advantage in tradeables on a scale adequate for self-sustaining growth.