One of the strongest stylized facts of the transition is also one of the most unexpected: after 1989 Central and … Eastern European and Former Soviet Union countries diverged massively. Institutions are a main reason. The EU anchor thesis …

institutions played a dominant role in shaping the transition process. Along with the EU accession process, the EU acted as a … Former Transition Economies (FTEs). The desire for a higher standard of living, to be anchored to the West, and to enter the … EU, spurred major reform waves and led to the very rapid introduction of best-practice institutions. Although social …