In this paper, we analyze financial and operating data (1992 to 1995) for more than 6,300 industrial firms in seven countries of the region: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic and Slovenia. These countries have adopted different policies to encourage enterprise...

One of the most important policy questions in the transition economies is what governments can do to speed the restructuring of firms and thus hasten the transition to a mature market economy. The authors report on a study that provides some answers. Privatization encourages restructuring if it...