Accidental Occidental

Informationen zum Autor Lajos Bokros is a Member of the European Parliament, former Minister of Finance of Hungary, Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Central European University, Budapest. Klappentext Besides providing a historical record of the long road from the economic agenda of the 1917 Bolshevik revolution to the present transition from communism, this book can be considered a staunch defense of market capitalism and liberal democracy. Any celebration of the current transition in Eastern Europe necessarily affirms the superiority of a market system over a non-market one and of a democratic system over a non-democratic one. The author does not deny the failures, shortcomings or imperfections of market economy and democracy. Nor does he take the survival of market capitalism and liberal democracy for granted. On the contrary, by highlighting the valiant and painful process of transition and attempting to understand its economics and culture, he seeks to contribute to the theoretical (academic) and practical (political) defense of Western civilization.

Texte du rabat

Besides providing a historical record of the long road from the economic agenda of the 1917 Bolshevik revolution to the present transition from communism, this book can be considered a staunch defense of market capitalism and liberal democracy. Any celebration of the current transition in Eastern Europe necessarily affirms the superiority of a market system over a non-market one and of a democratic system over a non-democratic one. The author does not deny the failures, shortcomings or imperfections of market economy and democracy. Nor does he take the survival of market capitalism and liberal democracy for granted. On the contrary, by highlighting the valiant and painful process of transition and attempting to understand its economics and culture, he seeks to contribute to the theoretical (academic) and practical (political) defense of Western civilization.

Contenu

FOREWORD INTRODUCTION Chapter 1. Communism as an Economic and Societal System in the Twentieth Century 1.1. The theoretical model of the command economy and society 1.2. The historical evolution of Soviet communism 1.3. Three basic models of communism in Central and Eastern Europe Chapter 2. Transition to Market and Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe 2.1. The matrix of structural reforms in transition 2.2. Business sector liberalization 2.3. Macroeconomic stabilization 2.4. Competitive privatization 2.5. Public utility and financial sector privatization 2.6. Restructuring public utilities and financial institutions 2.7. Regulation and supervision of public utilities and financial Institutions 2.8. Public finance and administration 2.9. Subsovereign governments 2.10. Legal and judicial reform 2.11. Matrix reloaded Chapter 3. Transition for the Twenty-First Century REFERENCES INDEX