ECON235 - Economies in Transition

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Academic Year 2000/2001

Economies in Transition
ECON 235 FA

Crosslistings:
REES 235

The transition of the formerly centrally planned and bureaucratically managed economies of the now-defunct Soviet bloc to market economies based on private property and individual initiative is an event unparalleled in history. The course is divided into four conceptual modules; the first, transition as process, examines the historical antecedents and initial conditions of post-socialist economies in transition. The three core topics are macroeconomic stabilization, privatization and microeconomic structural reform, and institutional reform in the financial sector. For each of these, the experiences of two countries will be studied in depth to illustrate the methodology of comparative economics. Each student will choose one transition country, e. g., China, and prepare a policy paper dealing with an issue of concern to that country.

MAJOR READINGS

Boycko, Maxim, Shleifer, Andrei, and Vishny, Robert, PRIVATIZING RUSSIA, The MIT Press, 1996
Lavigne, Marie, THE ECONOMICS OF TRANSITION: FROM SOCIALIST ECONOMY TO MARKET ECONOMY: SECOND EDITION, St. Martin's Press Inc., 1999

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

1. Four position papers, one on each topic listed in the course description. 2. An expert advisor report for a country chosen by the student. If this country is one that we use in analyzing a core topic, the paper must be on a different topic.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

Please note that if you do not match one of the prerequisite listings EXACTLY, then you need a prerequisite override.

Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the Registrar's Office.

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS ECON Grading Mode: Student Option

Prerequisites: (ECON111 AND ECON112) OR ECON105 OR ECON110 OR ECON101

SECTION 01

Instructor(s): Bonin,John P.

Times: .M.W... 02:40PM-04:00PM; Location: PAC136

Reserved Seats: (Total Limit: 40)

SR. major: 15 Jr. major: 10

SR. non-major: 5 Jr. non-major: 5 SO: 5 FR: X

Special Attributes:

Curricular Renewal: Writing

Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-26-2001