Reforming the State: Fiscal and Welfare Reform in Post-Socialist Countries

by János Kornai (Editor), Stephan Haggard (Editor), Robert R. Kaufman (Editor)

Overview

Countries of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe are entering the second decade of political transformation and economic reform. The new policy challenges center on the nature of the social contract between citizens and their governments. The essays in this volume focus on two interrelated issues: the making of fiscal policy and the provision of citizens' welfare, particularly regarding pensions and health care. The essays emphasize that there is no single model of a market economy; rather, governments and publics face a range of options for restructuring the socialist welfare state.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521773010
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	01/29/2001
Pages:	342
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.83(d)

Table of Contents

Preface János Kornai; Introduction Stephan Haggard and Robert R. Kaufman; Part I. Fiscal Policy and Institutions: 1. Politics of the labor market adjustment: the case of Russia Vladimir Gimpelson; 2. Creating effective tax administrations: the experience of Russia and Georgia Vito Tanzi; 3. Politics, institutions and macroeconomic adjustment: Hungarian fiscal policy-making in comparative perspective Stephan Haggard, Robert R. Kaufman and Matthew S. Shugart; 4. Brothers-in-arms or rivals in politics? Top politicians and top policy-makers in the Hungarian transformation Béla Greskovits; Part II. The Welfare State: 5. Lessons from Sweden for post-socialist countries Assar Lindbeck; 6. The borderline between the spheres of authority of the citizen and the state: recommendations for the Hungarian health reform János Kornai; 7. Security through diversity: conditions for successful reform of the pension system in Poland Jerzy Hausner; 8. The politics of pension and health care reforms in Hungary and Poland Joan M. Nelson.