Remaking the Economic Institutions of Socialism

Remaking the Economic Institutions of Socialism

Author: Victor Nee

Publisher: Stanford University Press

Published: 1989

Total Pages: 436

ISBN-13: 9780804714945

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To what extent can contemporary socialist economies be reformed by the introduction of markets? The question is usually debated in either a Chinese or an East European context; this collection of eleven essays is unique in taking the first steps toward a comparative analysis. Twenty years of experience with reforms in Hungary and a decade of experimentation with reforms in China proivde a critical mass of evidence for analyzing the problems endemic to cnetrally planned economies and the dilemmas faced in efforts to reform them. In reflecting on the Chinese and East European experiences, these essays trace the shift from a conception of reform as a mix of planning and makrets within the state sector to a socialist mixed economy with implications for the emergence of new social groups and autonomous social organizations. The essays exemplify a new perspective in the study of state socialism that changes the focus from ideologies to economic institutions, examining how the activities of subordinate groups place limits on the power of state elites. The authors include scholars who have shaped debates in Eastern Europe and whose work is now stimulating much discussion in China, as well as representatives of a younger generation of economists, sociologists, and political scientists writing on the basis of field research recently conducted in factories, cities, and villages in China and Eastern Europe. The contributors are: Wlodzimierz Brus, Walter D. Connor, Zhiren Lin, Victor Nee, Susan Shirk, David Stark, Ivan Szelenyi, and Martin King Whyte. An introductory essays surveys recent theories and research on state socialism and outlines a new institutional perspective for understanding the dilemmas of partial reforms, the political cycles of reform and retrenchment, and the role of subordinate groups in stimulating changes outside the state sector.


Book Synopsis Remaking the Economic Institutions of Socialism by : Victor Nee

Download or read book Remaking the Economic Institutions of Socialism written by Victor Nee and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 1989 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To what extent can contemporary socialist economies be reformed by the introduction of markets? The question is usually debated in either a Chinese or an East European context; this collection of eleven essays is unique in taking the first steps toward a comparative analysis. Twenty years of experience with reforms in Hungary and a decade of experimentation with reforms in China proivde a critical mass of evidence for analyzing the problems endemic to cnetrally planned economies and the dilemmas faced in efforts to reform them. In reflecting on the Chinese and East European experiences, these essays trace the shift from a conception of reform as a mix of planning and makrets within the state sector to a socialist mixed economy with implications for the emergence of new social groups and autonomous social organizations. The essays exemplify a new perspective in the study of state socialism that changes the focus from ideologies to economic institutions, examining how the activities of subordinate groups place limits on the power of state elites. The authors include scholars who have shaped debates in Eastern Europe and whose work is now stimulating much discussion in China, as well as representatives of a younger generation of economists, sociologists, and political scientists writing on the basis of field research recently conducted in factories, cities, and villages in China and Eastern Europe. The contributors are: Wlodzimierz Brus, Walter D. Connor, Zhiren Lin, Victor Nee, Susan Shirk, David Stark, Ivan Szelenyi, and Martin King Whyte. An introductory essays surveys recent theories and research on state socialism and outlines a new institutional perspective for understanding the dilemmas of partial reforms, the political cycles of reform and retrenchment, and the role of subordinate groups in stimulating changes outside the state sector.


Globalization Under and After Socialism

Globalization Under and After Socialism

Author: Besnik Pula

Publisher: Stanford University Press

Published: 2018-07-31

Total Pages: 371

ISBN-13: 1503605981

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The post-communist states of Central and Eastern Europe have gone from being among the world's most closed, autarkic economies to being some of the most export-oriented and globally integrated. While previous accounts have attributed this shift to post-1989 market reform policies, Besnik Pula sees the root causes differently. Reaching deeper into the region's history and comparatively examining its long-run industrial development, he locates critical junctures that forced the hands of Central and Eastern European elites and made them look at options beyond the domestic economy and the socialist bloc. In the 1970s, Central and Eastern European socialist leaders intensified engagements with the capitalist West in order to expand access to markets, technology, and capital. This shift began to challenge the Stalinist developmental model in favor of exports and transnational integration. A new reliance on exports launched the integration of Eastern European industry into value chains that cut across the East-West political divide. After 1989, these chains proved to be critical gateways to foreign direct investment and circuits of global capitalism. This book enriches our understanding of a regional shift that began well before the fall of the wall, while also explaining the distinct international roles that Central and Eastern European states have assumed in the globalized twenty-first century.


Book Synopsis Globalization Under and After Socialism by : Besnik Pula

Download or read book Globalization Under and After Socialism written by Besnik Pula and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2018-07-31 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The post-communist states of Central and Eastern Europe have gone from being among the world's most closed, autarkic economies to being some of the most export-oriented and globally integrated. While previous accounts have attributed this shift to post-1989 market reform policies, Besnik Pula sees the root causes differently. Reaching deeper into the region's history and comparatively examining its long-run industrial development, he locates critical junctures that forced the hands of Central and Eastern European elites and made them look at options beyond the domestic economy and the socialist bloc. In the 1970s, Central and Eastern European socialist leaders intensified engagements with the capitalist West in order to expand access to markets, technology, and capital. This shift began to challenge the Stalinist developmental model in favor of exports and transnational integration. A new reliance on exports launched the integration of Eastern European industry into value chains that cut across the East-West political divide. After 1989, these chains proved to be critical gateways to foreign direct investment and circuits of global capitalism. This book enriches our understanding of a regional shift that began well before the fall of the wall, while also explaining the distinct international roles that Central and Eastern European states have assumed in the globalized twenty-first century.


The New Institutionalism in Sociology

The New Institutionalism in Sociology

Author: Mary C. Brinton

Publisher: Stanford University Press

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 9780804742764

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Institutions play a pivotal role in structuring economic and social transactions, and understanding the foundations of social norms, networks, and beliefs within institutions is crucial to explaining much of what occurs in modern economies. This volume integrates two increasingly visible streams of research—economic sociology and new institutional economics—to better understand how ties among individuals and groups facilitate economic activity alongside and against the formal rules that regulate economic processes via government and law. Reviews "This volume is a welcome addition to the expanding literature on institutional analysis. . . . Besides sociologists, we are afforded the pleasure of contributions from anthropologists, economists, historians, political scientists, and scholars located in schools of law and education. . . . One of the pleasures of the volume is the wide range of topics, times, and locales addressed by the authors. . . . In all these diverse situations, the application of institutional queries and approaches enhances our understanding and appreciation of the endlessly rich and diverse nature of social life."—Contemporary Society "This admirable book makes a strong contribution to institutional theory, has many excellent chapters . . . and is a model for interdisciplinary exchange and cross-fertilization. . . . It is dense with interesting ideas and points for debate, and I heartily recommend it."—Sociological Research Online


Book Synopsis The New Institutionalism in Sociology by : Mary C. Brinton

Download or read book The New Institutionalism in Sociology written by Mary C. Brinton and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2001 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Institutions play a pivotal role in structuring economic and social transactions, and understanding the foundations of social norms, networks, and beliefs within institutions is crucial to explaining much of what occurs in modern economies. This volume integrates two increasingly visible streams of research—economic sociology and new institutional economics—to better understand how ties among individuals and groups facilitate economic activity alongside and against the formal rules that regulate economic processes via government and law. Reviews "This volume is a welcome addition to the expanding literature on institutional analysis. . . . Besides sociologists, we are afforded the pleasure of contributions from anthropologists, economists, historians, political scientists, and scholars located in schools of law and education. . . . One of the pleasures of the volume is the wide range of topics, times, and locales addressed by the authors. . . . In all these diverse situations, the application of institutional queries and approaches enhances our understanding and appreciation of the endlessly rich and diverse nature of social life."—Contemporary Society "This admirable book makes a strong contribution to institutional theory, has many excellent chapters . . . and is a model for interdisciplinary exchange and cross-fertilization. . . . It is dense with interesting ideas and points for debate, and I heartily recommend it."—Sociological Research Online


The Institutional Approach to Labour and Development

The Institutional Approach to Labour and Development

Author: Klárá Fóti

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2005-06-28

Total Pages: 247

ISBN-13: 1135777799

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Bringing together the work of economists and sociologists, this collection analyses how social institutions contribute to an understanding of development.


Book Synopsis The Institutional Approach to Labour and Development by : Klárá Fóti

Download or read book The Institutional Approach to Labour and Development written by Klárá Fóti and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2005-06-28 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bringing together the work of economists and sociologists, this collection analyses how social institutions contribute to an understanding of development.


Institutional Change

Institutional Change

Author: Sven-Erik Sjostrand

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-06-16

Total Pages: 472

ISBN-13: 1315486237

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This book brings together some 15 papers drawn from the 330 papers presented at the Third Annual Conference of the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics in Stockholm, Sweden in June 1991. Part 1 outlines a basic theory of institutional change; Parts 2 and 3 examine case studies in international experience with institutional change. The authors of the original papers include Douglas North, Amitai Etzioni, Oliver Williamson, as well as eminent scholars from Eastern and Western Europe, representing views and analyses from ten different countries.


Book Synopsis Institutional Change by : Sven-Erik Sjostrand

Download or read book Institutional Change written by Sven-Erik Sjostrand and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-06-16 with total page 472 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book brings together some 15 papers drawn from the 330 papers presented at the Third Annual Conference of the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics in Stockholm, Sweden in June 1991. Part 1 outlines a basic theory of institutional change; Parts 2 and 3 examine case studies in international experience with institutional change. The authors of the original papers include Douglas North, Amitai Etzioni, Oliver Williamson, as well as eminent scholars from Eastern and Western Europe, representing views and analyses from ten different countries.


Adaptation And Transformation In Communist And Post-communist Systems

Adaptation And Transformation In Communist And Post-communist Systems

Author: Sabrina Petra Ramet

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-03-04

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 0429710550

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This book tackles different aspects of the adaptive and transformative process in communist and post-communist systems in Eastern Europe, offering competing models, which locate the explanatory variable in different places and account for the unfolding of change in different ways.


Book Synopsis Adaptation And Transformation In Communist And Post-communist Systems by : Sabrina Petra Ramet

Download or read book Adaptation And Transformation In Communist And Post-communist Systems written by Sabrina Petra Ramet and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-03-04 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book tackles different aspects of the adaptive and transformative process in communist and post-communist systems in Eastern Europe, offering competing models, which locate the explanatory variable in different places and account for the unfolding of change in different ways.


Economic Institutions and Democratic Reform

Economic Institutions and Democratic Reform

Author: Ole Nørgaard

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2000-01-01

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13: 9781782541493

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"This book will be essential and challenging reading for political scientists and economists as well as policymakers in NGOs. such as aid agencies and the institutions of the EU."--BOOK JACKET.


Book Synopsis Economic Institutions and Democratic Reform by : Ole Nørgaard

Download or read book Economic Institutions and Democratic Reform written by Ole Nørgaard and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2000-01-01 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book will be essential and challenging reading for political scientists and economists as well as policymakers in NGOs. such as aid agencies and the institutions of the EU."--BOOK JACKET.


The Capitalist Transformation of State Socialism

The Capitalist Transformation of State Socialism

Author: David Lane

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-11-20

Total Pages: 399

ISBN-13: 1135008817

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David Lane outlines succinctly yet comprehensively the development and transformation of state socialism. While focussing on Russia and the countries of Eastern Europe, he also engages in a discussion of the Chinese path. In response to the changing social structure and external demands, he outlines different scenarios of reform. He contends that European state socialism did not collapse but was consciously dismantled. He brings out the West’s decisive support of the reform process and Gorbachev’s significant role in tipping the balance of political forces in favour of an emergent ascendant class. In the post-socialist period, he details developments in the economy and politics. He distinguishes different political and economic trajectories of countries of the former USSR, the New Member States of the European Union, and China; and he notes the attempts to promote further change through ‘coloured’ revolutions. The book provides a detailed account not only of the unequal impact of transformation on social inequality which has given rise to a privileged business and political class, but also how far the changes have fulfilled the promise of democracy promotion, wealth creation and human development. Finally, in the context of globalisation, the author considers possible future political and economic developments for Russia and China. Throughout the author, a leading expert in the field, brings to bear his deep knowledge of socialist countries, draws on his research on the former Soviet Union, and visits to nearly all the former state socialist countries, including China.


Book Synopsis The Capitalist Transformation of State Socialism by : David Lane

Download or read book The Capitalist Transformation of State Socialism written by David Lane and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-11-20 with total page 399 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David Lane outlines succinctly yet comprehensively the development and transformation of state socialism. While focussing on Russia and the countries of Eastern Europe, he also engages in a discussion of the Chinese path. In response to the changing social structure and external demands, he outlines different scenarios of reform. He contends that European state socialism did not collapse but was consciously dismantled. He brings out the West’s decisive support of the reform process and Gorbachev’s significant role in tipping the balance of political forces in favour of an emergent ascendant class. In the post-socialist period, he details developments in the economy and politics. He distinguishes different political and economic trajectories of countries of the former USSR, the New Member States of the European Union, and China; and he notes the attempts to promote further change through ‘coloured’ revolutions. The book provides a detailed account not only of the unequal impact of transformation on social inequality which has given rise to a privileged business and political class, but also how far the changes have fulfilled the promise of democracy promotion, wealth creation and human development. Finally, in the context of globalisation, the author considers possible future political and economic developments for Russia and China. Throughout the author, a leading expert in the field, brings to bear his deep knowledge of socialist countries, draws on his research on the former Soviet Union, and visits to nearly all the former state socialist countries, including China.


The Institutional Transition of China's Township and Village Enterprises

The Institutional Transition of China's Township and Village Enterprises

Author: Hongyi Chen

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-11-22

Total Pages: 294

ISBN-13: 1351812289

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This title was first published in 2000: This work provides a new insight into china's township and village enterprises (TVEs). It views the governance structure of TVEs as effectively combining the comparative advantage of local government officials in external management and of dual firm managers in internal management to overcome imperfections in both market and government during the transitional period. Through extensive field investigation analysis and case studies, this work shows that the governance structure of TVEs has been evolving during the past fifteen years. To adapt to the changing environment, TVEs have continuously innovated firm contractual form from a government official dominant fixed-wage form to a partnership style profit-sharing form, then to a privatization oriented fixed-rent form. This work develops a complete model to explain how the central government’s partial reform efforts in market liberalization have become the driving force to induce the contractual form innovation, and to explicate how heterogeneity in firms’ technical structures and in local economic settings may affect local government’s decisions regarding contractual form innovation. Using the author’s unique data set, the model simulations predict that the development in the whole market system will result in the diffusion of contractual form innovation and lead to an 'induced privatization’ in this sector. The following empirical studies show this to be a powerful prediction and the progress toward such ’induced privatization' can be expected in China in near future. This research work provides a rich empirical study on China’s institutional transition towards a market system. It explains how a bottom-up endogenous, instead of top-down exogenous, property rights reform can be realized in transitional economies. This work will serve as a valuable reference for researchers and students in economics, economic development and institutional economics - and especially for those interested in research.


Book Synopsis The Institutional Transition of China's Township and Village Enterprises by : Hongyi Chen

Download or read book The Institutional Transition of China's Township and Village Enterprises written by Hongyi Chen and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-11-22 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This title was first published in 2000: This work provides a new insight into china's township and village enterprises (TVEs). It views the governance structure of TVEs as effectively combining the comparative advantage of local government officials in external management and of dual firm managers in internal management to overcome imperfections in both market and government during the transitional period. Through extensive field investigation analysis and case studies, this work shows that the governance structure of TVEs has been evolving during the past fifteen years. To adapt to the changing environment, TVEs have continuously innovated firm contractual form from a government official dominant fixed-wage form to a partnership style profit-sharing form, then to a privatization oriented fixed-rent form. This work develops a complete model to explain how the central government’s partial reform efforts in market liberalization have become the driving force to induce the contractual form innovation, and to explicate how heterogeneity in firms’ technical structures and in local economic settings may affect local government’s decisions regarding contractual form innovation. Using the author’s unique data set, the model simulations predict that the development in the whole market system will result in the diffusion of contractual form innovation and lead to an 'induced privatization’ in this sector. The following empirical studies show this to be a powerful prediction and the progress toward such ’induced privatization' can be expected in China in near future. This research work provides a rich empirical study on China’s institutional transition towards a market system. It explains how a bottom-up endogenous, instead of top-down exogenous, property rights reform can be realized in transitional economies. This work will serve as a valuable reference for researchers and students in economics, economic development and institutional economics - and especially for those interested in research.


Rethinking the Cold War

Rethinking the Cold War

Author: Allen Hunter

Publisher: Temple University Press

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 1566395623

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The end of the Cold War should have been an occasion to reassess its origins, history, significance, and consequences. Yet most commentators have restated positions already developed during the Cold War. They have taken the break-up of the Soviet Union, the shift toward capitalism and electoral politics in Eastern Europe and countries formerly in the USSR as evidence of a moral and political victory for the United States that needs no further elaboration. This collection of essays offers a more complex and nuanced analysis of Cold War history. It challenges the prevailing perspective, which editor Allen Hunter terms "vindicationism." Writing from different disciplinary and conceptual vantage points, the contributors to the collection invite a rethinking of what the Cold War was, how fully it defined the decades after World War II, what forces sustained it, and what forces led to its demise. By exploring a wide range of central themes of the era, Rethinking the Cold War widens the discussion of the Cold War's place in post-war history and intellectual life.


Book Synopsis Rethinking the Cold War by : Allen Hunter

Download or read book Rethinking the Cold War written by Allen Hunter and published by Temple University Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The end of the Cold War should have been an occasion to reassess its origins, history, significance, and consequences. Yet most commentators have restated positions already developed during the Cold War. They have taken the break-up of the Soviet Union, the shift toward capitalism and electoral politics in Eastern Europe and countries formerly in the USSR as evidence of a moral and political victory for the United States that needs no further elaboration. This collection of essays offers a more complex and nuanced analysis of Cold War history. It challenges the prevailing perspective, which editor Allen Hunter terms "vindicationism." Writing from different disciplinary and conceptual vantage points, the contributors to the collection invite a rethinking of what the Cold War was, how fully it defined the decades after World War II, what forces sustained it, and what forces led to its demise. By exploring a wide range of central themes of the era, Rethinking the Cold War widens the discussion of the Cold War's place in post-war history and intellectual life.