Intro -- Contents -- I. INTRODUCTION -- II. THE BUILDING BLOCKS -- III. LEVEL AND VOLATILITY OF MACROECONOMIC OUTCOMES -- IV. MAGNITUDE AND VOLATILITY OF SHOCKS -- V. MACROECONOMIC POLICY VOLATILITY -- VI. STRUCTURAL POLICY VOLATILITY AND REFORM REVERSALS -- VII. CONSTRAINTS FACED BY...

This paper summarizes the macroeconomic performance of the transition economies. We first review the initial conditions confronting these economies, the reform strategy that was proposed, and the associated controversies that arose a decade ago. We then account for the widely different outcomes,...