Restructuring of Property Rights in Poland: A Study in Evolutionary Economics
With the mid- 1989 collapse of Communist politics in Eastern Europe, the whole region entered into a phase of intensive economic reforms, commonly called " transition" to capitalism. This wave of systemic change has triggered a lively theoretical discussion on whether reform programs should assume a more radical-blueprint-form or a more evolutionary one, lacking a definite strategy. The initial consensus was that economic theory favors the radical approach, and the 1990 program adopted by Poland was radical. Arguments for an evolutionary model of reform seem to be gaining ground, however, partly in response to the very high costs of Poland's "shock therapy" program. [...]
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