The Eurasian Growth Paradox

The post-communist transition to open and market-based economic orders has been patchy and uneven. In general, countries closer to Europe that undertook rapid reforms have grown much faster than other post-communist countries in the former Soviet sphere. However, during the last years growth has sparked also in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries; in fact, the CIS has grown much faster than Central European states in the last five years.

The Eurasian growth is often explained by the surge in resource prices in recent years, but is it entirely determined by the price of resources? Is the price of resources even the most influential factor in CIS growth? What role have economic reforms played in these countries recent growth pattern?

With this letter ECIPE cordially invites you to a lunch seminar on the Eurasian growth paradox. At the seminar, Dr. Anders Åslund of The Peterson Institute (formerly the Institute for International Economics) will present his recent research on Eurasian growth. Dr. Åslund is a Senior Fellow of The Peterson Institute and prior to joining the institute he was a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. A former Professor of Economics at the Stockholm School of Economics and Director of Stockholm Institute of East European Economies, Dr. Åslund is one of the leading scholars in the world on transition economics.