Two Roads Diverge
The Transition Experience of Poland and Ukraine

This book compares the economic outcomes of Poland and Ukraine by focusing on political and economic institutions.

Christopher A. Hartwell (Author)

9781107530980, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 26 September 2016

528 pages, 23 b/w illus. 16 tables
22.7 x 15.2 x 2.9 cm, 0.77 kg

'Why has post-1989 Poland been a success story and Ukraine not? Providing an answer to this question is the task of a major book by Christopher A. Hartwell, president of the Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE) in Poland. The comparison of these two neighboring states is apt, especially given their overlapping history … and the shared experience of communism. … The chapters are a tour de force.' Patrice M. Dabrowski, The Polish Review

The dramatic events of Maidan in February 2014 shone a spotlight on the immense problems facing Ukraine. At the same time that Ukraine was undergoing turmoil, its western neighbor Poland was celebrating twenty-five years of post-communism with a rosy economic outlook and projections of continued growth. How could two countries who shared similar linguistic, cultural, economic and political heritages diverge so wildly in economic performance in such a short span of time? The main argument of this book is that institutions, and more specifically the evolution or neglect of the particular institutions needed for a market economy, explain the economic divergence between Ukraine and Poland. This book discusses the evolution of key institutions such as property rights, trade, and the role of the executive branch of government to explain the recent relative performance of the two countries.

1. Introduction
2. A brief institutional history of Central Europe I: Poland and its political institutions to 1989
3. A brief institutional history of Central Europe II: Poland and its economic institutions to 1989
4. A brief institutional history of Eastern Europe: Ukraine and its institutions to 1989
5. The transition of Poland and Ukraine: two roads diverge
6. Conclusion - the why of divergence.

Subject Areas: Development economics & emerging economies [KCM], International economics [KCL], Economic growth [KCG]