Article

 

Path – dependence and initial conditions in the transition processc : the cases of Hungary and Romania (p.67-87)

by

Eric Magnin, GERME, University Paris 7 and CEMI, EHESS

Keywords : Transition, Path dependence, Institutions, EU integration, Hungary, Romania

JEL classification : P2, P52, O49, B25

Abstract

Thirteen years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, initial conditions in 1989-1990, especially the institutional legacy, appear to have been of crucial importance in the determination of ‘vicious’ or ‘virtuous’ national transition trajectories throughout the nineties. To illustrate both cases, the Hungarian and the Romanian paths of transformation are briefly analyzed. Hence this paper discusses the issue of path dependence and initial conditions in transitology and economics, as far as institutional and organizational change are concerned.