Slovenia : from Yugoslavia to the European Unions

Slovenia's achievements over the past several years have been remarkable. Thirteen years after independence from the former Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia, the country is among the most advanced of all the transition economies in Central and Eastern Europe and a leading candidate for accession to the European Union in May 2004. Remarkably, however, very little has been published documenting this historic transition. In the only book of its kind, the contributors - many of them the architects of Slovenia's current transformation - analyze the country's three-fold transition from a command to a market economy, from a regionally based to a national economy, and from a part of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia to a member of the European Union (EU). With chapters from Slovenia's president, a former vice prime minister, the current and previous ministers of finance, the minister of European Affairs, the current and former governors of the Bank of Slovenia, as well as from leading development scholars in Slovenia and abroad, this unique collection synthesizes Slovenia's recent socioeconomic and political history and assesses the challenges ahead. Contributors discuss the Slovenian style of socioeconomic transformation, analyze Slovenia's quest for EU membership, and place Slovenia's transition within the context of the broader transition process taking place in Central and Eastern Europe. Of interest to development practitioners and to students and scholars of the region, Slovenia: From Yugoslavia to the European Union is a comprehensive and illuminating study of one country's path to political and economic independence. Overview: Slovenia's Threefold Transition -- Ch. 1. Political Reasons For The Dissolution Of Sfr Yugoslavia / Janez Drnovsek -- Ch. 2. Socialism And The Disintegration Of Sfr Yugoslavia / Vladimir Gligorov -- Ch. 3. Independence And Integration Into The International Community: A Window Of Opportunity / Bojko Bucar -- Ch. 4. Institutional Setting For The New Independent State / Neven Borak And Bistra Borak -- Ch. 5. Transition To A National And A Market Economy: A Gradualist Approach / Joze Mencinger -- Ch. 6. Establishing Monetary Sovereignty / Andrej Rant -- Ch. 7. Succession Issues In Allocating The External Debt Of Sfr Yugoslavia And Achieving Slovenia's Financial Independence / Mojmir Mrak And France Arhar -- Ch. 8. Macroeconomic Stabilization And Sustainable Growth / Carlos Silva-jauregui -- Ch. 9. Trade Policy In The Transition Process / Boris Majcen And Bartlomiej Kaminski -- Ch. 10. Monetary System And Monetary Policy / Ivan Ribnikar And Tomaz Kosak -- Ch. 11. Exchange Rate Policy And Management Of Capital Flows / Velimir Bole -- Ch. 12. Fiscal Policy And Public Finance Reforms / Milan M. Cvikl And Mitja Gaspari -- Ch. 13. Building An Institutional Framework For A Full-fledged Market Economy / Rasto Ovin And Bostjan Kramberger -- Ch. 14. Privatization, Restructuring, And Corporate Governance Of The Enterprise Sector / Marko Simoneti, Matija Rojec And Aleksandra Gregoric -- Ch. 15. Enterprise Restructuring In The First Decade Of Independence / Polona Domadenik And Janez Prasnikar -- Ch. 16. Banking Sector / Franjo Stiblar And Marko Voljc -- Ch. 17. Capital Market Development / Dusan Mramor And Bozo Jasovic -- Ch. 18. Labor Market Developments In The 1990s / Milan Vodopivec -- Ch. 19. Social Sector Developments / Tine Stanovnik -- Ch. 20. Reentering The Markets Of The Former Yugoslavia / Joze P. Damijan Ch. 21. Eu Membership: Rationale, Costs, And Benefits / Andras Inotai And Peter Stanovnik -- Ch. 22. Slovenia's Road To Membership In The European Union / Janez Potocnik And Jaime Garcia Lombardero -- Ch. 23. Size Matters In The European Union: Searching For Balance Between Formal And Actual Equality / Zlatko Sabic, Marjan Svetlicic, Dorota Pyszna-nigge And Wolfgang Wessels -- Ch. 24. Political Economy Of Slovenia's Transition / Janez Sustersic. Editors, Mojmir Mrak, Matija Rojec, And Carlos Silva-jáuregui. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The main objective of the book is to analyze Slovenia's threefold transition in the context of a broader transition process in Central and Eastern Europe and to contribute toward filling the obvious gap in the literature on this subject. The book provides an overview of the most important developments faced by Slovenia during its transition-the achievements, the problems, and the challenges-and discusses the lessons that have been learned and the main challenges that Slovenia can expect to face. Interdisciplinary in character, the book focuses on socioeconomic and political aspects and integrates them into the existing pool of knowledge about the transition process.