Showing papers by "Simeon Djankov published in 2016"
TL;DR: The authors argue that the happiness gap is explained by how citizens in post-communist countries perceive their governments and link their life satisfaction to higher perceived corruption and weaker government performance, and suggest that the transition from central planning is still incomplete, at least in the psychology of people.
75 citations
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TL;DR: The authors argue that the happiness gap is explained by how citizens in post-communist countries perceive their governments and link their life satisfaction to higher perceived corruption and weaker government performance, and suggest that the transition from central planning is still incomplete, at least in the psychology of people.
Abstract: Citizens in Eastern Europe are less satisfied with life than their peers in other countries. This happiness gap has persisted over time, despite predictions to the contrary by earlier scholars. It holds after controlling for a variety of covariates, such as the standard of living, life expectancy and Eastern Orthodox religion. Armed with a battery of surveys from the early 1990s to 2014, we argue that the happiness gap is explained by how citizens in post-communist countries perceive their governments. Eastern Europeans link their life satisfaction to higher perceived corruption and weaker government performance. Our results suggest that the transition from central planning is still incomplete, at least in the psychology of people.
52 citations
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TL;DR: The Belt and Road Initiative (B2R) as discussed by the authors is an initiative to build and upgrade highways, railways, ports, and other infrastructure throughout Asia and Europe designed to enrich the economies of China and some 60 of its nearby trading partners.
Abstract: China’s commercial ties with the outside world have long been symbolized by the ancient Silk Road, which began as a tortuous trading network of mountain paths and sea routes that provided a lifeline for the Chinese economy. Now the leadership in Beijing is reviving the concept with an ambitious plan to build and upgrade highways, railways, ports, and other infrastructure throughout Asia and Europe designed to enrich the economies of China and some 60 of its nearby trading partners. The so-called Belt and Road Initiative has generated enthusiasm and high hopes but also skepticism and wariness. And as big as China’s ambitions are, many obstacles stand in the way. In this volume of essays edited by Sean Miner and Simeon Djankov, PIIE experts analyze the initiative’s opportunities for China and the world, along with the logistical problems and political, economic, and security implications that have generated concerns.
36 citations
24 citations
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present evidence from 29 postcommunist countries that the economic transition has been more successful than the political transformation in the quarter century since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Abstract: This paper presents evidence from 29 postcommunist countries that the economic transition has been more successful than the political transformation in the quarter century since the fall of the Berlin Wall. The adoption of strong parliamentarian systems has countered the adverse effects of religious and imperial history on economic evolution. As a result, the divergence in democracy and political rights is 4 to 5 times larger than the divergence in the path toward economic freedom and ease of doing business. Democracy is not harder to predict than economic freedom—history and ethnicity predict it well. But recent authoritarian regressions in Hungary and Poland, countries with successful economic reforms and strong parliamentarian systems, present a new challenge to researchers.
22 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present evidence from 29 postcommunist countries that the economic transition has been more successful than the political transformation in the quarter century since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Abstract: This paper presents evidence from 29 postcommunist countries that the economic transition has been more successful than the political transformation in the quarter century since the fall of the Berlin Wall. The adoption of strong parliamentarian systems has countered the adverse effects of religious and imperial history on economic evolution. As a result, the divergence in democracy and political rights is 4 to 5 times larger than the divergence in the path toward economic freedom and ease of doing business. Democracy is not harder to predict than economic freedom — history and ethnicity predict it well. But recent authoritarian regressions in Hungary and Poland, countries with successful economic reforms and strong parliamentarian systems, present a new challenge to researchers.
15 citations
Book•
01 Jan 2016
TL;DR: Aslund and Djankov as discussed by the authors show how countries in Central and Eastern Europe have recently adopted economic policies that could prove useful in expanding business and economic activity in Western and Southern Europe, and conclude with a call for crucial continental institutional reforms at the European Commission of the European Union, the European Parliament, and the European Council of Ministers.
Abstract: In the wake of the Great Recession, Europe's economy has stagnated to a considerable degree-greater even than that of the United States. Forecasts suggest an abysmal annual growth rate of about one percent over the next five years, and it now appears that Europe's enviable structural features, that is, their superior social safety net, leading educational facilities, and outstanding infrastructure will be in jeopardy if higher levels of growth cannot be achieved in the mid- to long-term. Several European countries have sought to stimulate growth through monetary or fiscal means, but in the view of some economists, this focus on the demand side ignores the need to address supply issues. In Europe's Growth Challenge, Anders Aslund and Simeon Djankov show how countries in Central and Eastern Europe have recently adopted economic policies that could prove useful in expanding business and economic activity in Western and Southern Europe. These include reducing the financial role of the state, adjusting tax systems, improving the environment for startups, and easing controls over labor markets and migration policies. The Netherlands, they note, has already introduced humane pension reforms that could be adopted more broadly on the continent. The authors also outline how sectoral changes in the service market, high-tech development, and energy markets, more successfully pursued in the U.S., could profit many European countries. Authors Anders Aslund and Simeon Djankov conclude with a call for crucial continental institutional reforms at the European Commission of the European Union, the European Parliament, and the European Council of Ministers. If enacted, this bold program may be just what is needed to reinvigorate the slumping European economy.
13 citations
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12 citations
TL;DR: The authors showed that the economic transition has been more successful than the political transformation in the quarter century since the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the adoption of strong parliamentarian systems has negated the deleterious effects of religious and imperial history on economic evolution.
Abstract: We show that the economic transition has been more successful than the political transformation in the quarter century since the fall of the Berlin Wall. The adoption of strong parliamentarian systems has negated the deleterious effects of religious and imperial history on economic evolution. As a result, the divergence in democracy and political rights is 4 to 5 times larger than the divergence in the path towards economic freedom and ease of doing business. Democracy is not harder to predict than economic freedom — history and ethnicity predict it well. But recent authoritarian regressions in Hungary and Poland, countries with successful economic reforms and strong parliamentarian systems, present a new challenge to researchers.
8 citations
Posted Content•
01 Jan 2016
TL;DR: The Belt and Road Initiative has generated enthusiasm and high hopes but also skepticism and wariness as discussed by the authors, and as big as China's ambitions are, many obstacles stand in the way.
Abstract: China’s commercial ties with the outside world have long been symbolized by the ancient Silk Road, which began as a tortuous trading network of mountain paths and sea routes that provided a lifeline for the Chinese economy Now the leadership in Beijing is reviving the concept with an ambitious plan to build and upgrade highways, railways, ports, and other infrastructure throughout Asia and Europe designed to enrich the economies of China and some 60 of its nearby trading partners The so-called Belt and Road Initiative has generated enthusiasm and high hopes but also skepticism and wariness And as big as China’s ambitions are, many obstacles stand in the way In this volume of essays edited by Sean Miner and Simeon Djankov, PIIE experts analyze the initiative’s opportunities for China and the world, along with the logistical problems and political, economic, and security implications that have generated concerns
4 citations