Προς τα πού βαδίζει η νοτιοανατολική Ευρώπη; Η πορεία της οικονομίας της ελεύθερης αγοράς στα μετακομμουνιστικά Βαλκάνια

Abstract

In the early 1990s, the countries of the Eastern Bloc faced the collapse of
existing socialism and the loss of important commercial ties with the Soviet Union. The transition from the socialist regime to liberal democracy brought
about the transition from a centrally planned economy to the free market. The
purpose of this article is to study the two proposed economic transition methods
and to examine the reasons why there were different economic outcomes
in the countries of Southeastern Europe. The first section analyzes the basic
theoretical methods on economic transition. The second section traces the
common factors present in the Balkan countries and the third, the possible
causes that affected the smooth transition to a market economy based on these
common factors. Finally, the article combines these factors with other countryspecific
circumstances. The article comes to the conclusion that for Southeastern
Europe their relative failure is not due to the choice of method but
rather, due to the specific factors present in the Balkans: low levels of industrialization
at the onset of communism, low incomes at the start of the
post-communist era, geographic location, and, failure to achieve a clear breakup
with their past economic and political system.