The paper investigated the difference the EU made to the nature and speed of convergence process in the countries that joined the EU since 2004 relative to countries that converged outside such closely-knit supranational organization. It draws some lessons from this analysis for ASEAN countries....

Starting on 1st of May 2004, 11 countries in Central-Eastern and South Eastern Europe and in the Baltics (EU11) joined the European Union in three consecutive waves. Half a generation later, and a full generation after the start of transition in the region, we thought it would be opportune to...

Starting on 1 May 2004, 11 countries in Central-Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and in the Baltics (EU11) joined the European Union (EU) in three consecutive waves. Half a generation later, and a full generation after the start of transition in the region, we thought it would be opportune to...

The rapid journey from central planning to EU (euro area) membership stress-tested the social learning processes of the 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...

This chapter offers a framework to analyse the impact of EU membership on economic ("means"), institutional ("ways") and social ("ends") convergence of EU11 countries to the frontier. It identifies the channels through which this impact works: trade, investment, finance, migration and...

The rapid journey from central planning to EU (euro area) membership stress-tested the social learning processes of the 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...

In recent years, fiscal performance in Central Europe has steadily deteriorated, in contrast to the improvement in the Baltics. This paper explores the determinants of such differences among countries slated for EU accession. Regression estimates suggest that economic and institutional...