Data Watch: Research Data from Transition Economies

Ten years into the transition from communism in the countries of the former Soviet Union and central and eastern Europe, a cursory search of the EconLit database turns up hundreds of empirical studies published in refereed journals that deal with various issues in transition economies. Even so, we suspect that many economists are prevented from making full use of the possibilities offered by the transition by the difficulties of obtaining and interpreting data from the region. The purpose of this brief essay is to indicate some possible sources for data that can be used for economic analysis, as well as some cautions regarding the use of these data.