The Political Economy of Independent Ukraine : Captured by the Past

The Political Economy of Independent Ukraine analyses the reasons for the abysmal economic performance of Ukraine during the 1990s. The main thesis is that economic development was blocked by a set of parasitic mechanisms at all levels of the economy that prevented the development of value-added economic activities. These parasitic mechanisms already developed under Soviet rule ('beating the system' by redistributing goods and services while disregarding formal rules) became a widespread practice. Front Matter....Pages i-xi Introduction....Pages 1-7 Independence: Euphoria and Disillusionment....Pages 8-22 Politics, State and Bureaucracy....Pages 23-48 Economic Reform....Pages 49-73 Structural Change in the Economy I: Sectoral Analysis....Pages 74-99 Structural Change in the Economy II: The Micro-level....Pages 100-109 Opening Towards the World Economy?....Pages 110-135 Regional Economies....Pages 136-148 Social Change: Economic Implications....Pages 149-168 Path Dependency and Development Prospects....Pages 169-192 Back Matter....Pages 193-236