Despite large falls in output in the FSU, rather than firing workers, workers were subjected to long spells of unpaid leave or non-payment of wages (wage arrears). Wage arrears is a significant problem in the countries of the FSU, particularly in light of price liberalization on most goods and...

The early 1990s saw the rapid introduction of policies that were to reform the centrally planned economies in CEE and FSU. These policies were expected to lead to improvements in welfare. Studies on the transition projected initial falls in inequality and increases in poverty, which are...

The transition from a command economy in the FSU resulted in increased activities in the informal sector. However despite prevalent delays in wage payments many workers were still observed to be working full-time in the formal sector. Here a model of workers' labour supply decisions incorporates...

In the Former Soviet Union, the early 1990s were characterized by large falls in GDP and small changes to already low unemployment. The slow adjustment to unemployment was a result of employers using various means to maintain employment levels, including; extended periods of unpaid leave,...

We examine the effects of two different types of commodity taxation, specific and ad valorem, on wages and profits. We analyze two models of wage determination, one with efficiency wage setting and one with union-firm bargaining. In the former, a (locally) revenue-neutral shift from specific to...

The paper presents a model of labor reallocation in a transition economy and analyzes the determinants of the optimal speed of transition. The model is extended to consider the effect of emigration flows from the transition country. In general, a rapid rather than slow pace of restructuring is...

This paper considers the psychological impact of past unemployment. Using 11 waves of German panel data, we show that life satisfaction is lower not only for the current unemployed (relative to the employed), but also for those with higher levels of past unemployment. However, the negative...

This paper analyses life satisfaction in transition countries using evidence from the "World Values Survey". The paper demonstrates that individuals in transition economies on average record lower values of self-reported satisfaction with life compared with those in non-transition countries. A...