Deficit and debt in transition : the political economy of public finances in Central and Eastern Europe / edited by István Benczes.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Benczes, István Zsolt, 1974- editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Finance, Public--Europe, Central.

Finance, Public.

Finance, Public--Europe, Eastern.

Debts, Public--Europe, Central.

Debts, Public.

Debts, Public--Europe, Eastern.

Finance, Public--Europe, Central--Case studies.

Finance, Public--Europe, Eastern--Case studies.

Central Europe.

Eastern Europe.

Genre:

Case studies.

Physical Description:

xv, 226 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Budapest, Hungary ; New York, NY : Central European University Press, 2014.

Summary:

The adjustment problems of public finance in countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) are often misunderstood and misinterpreted by western scholars. This book contributes to the bridging of the gap between what is being thought by external observers and what the actual public finance reality is, as described by competent local scholars. Popular political economy research has remained biased towards advanced countries and has neglected developing and transition economies. Publications on CEE countries' public finances seem to be reluctant to apply the conceptual framework of standard political economy to these countries because of the assumption that CEE economies are different from their Western peers. But is this really the case? Are CEE economies so much different that none of the well-known "Western" political economy concepts or models can be applied to the analysis of fiscal performance in the region? Benczes demonstrates that they can be safely applied in the context of CEE economies as well. He sees no need to develop a separate or unique theory designed for the study and understanding of (one-time) transition economies.

Contents:

I Cross-Country Analysis of Public Finances in Central and Eastern Europe 13

1 Economic Freedom and Public Debt in Central and Eastern Europe / Oliver Treidler Treidler, Oliver 15

2 Political Business Cycles: Theory and Empirical Findings for the CEE Region / András Olivér Németh Németh, András Olivér 35

3 The Strategic Use of Public Debt in Central and Eastern Europe / Vera Takács Takács, Vera, István Benczes Benczes, István 59

4 Varieties of Capitalism and Public Finances in Cental and Eastern Europe / Zsolt Szabó Szabó, Zsolt 87

II Case Studies in the Public Finances of Central and Eastern Europe 105

5 Passive Macro economic Populism in the Baltics / Gábor Kutasi Kutasi, Gábor 107

6 Values, Norms, and Beliefs: The Case of Poland / Judit Kozenkow Kozenkow, Judit 133

7 Critical Junctures and Unintended Consequences: The Case of Hungary / István Benczes Benczes, István 153

8 Structural Reforms in a Low-Trust Environment: The Case of Slovakia / Dóra Gyorffy Gyorffy, Dóra 175

9 Europeanization with a Detour: The Case of Croatia / Fruzsina Sigér Sigér, Fruzsina 197.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9789633860588

963386058X

OCLC:

878813085