The Political Economy of Policy Reform - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0881321958 ISBN 13: 9780881321951

Publisher: Peterson Institute for International Economics, 1994

Synopsis

A large measure of consensus exists about the substantive content of successful economic policy reform―macroeconomic discipline, microeconomic liberalization, and participation in the global economy―that is needed for an economy to enter the modern world. There is much less consensus on the political conditions necessary to sustain meaningful economic reform. Editor John Williamson commissioned 13 case studies for countries as diverse as Australia, Chile, and Poland from "technopols" who played leading roles in implementing the policy reforms. Each author focuses on the political and institutional factors that shaped policy choices and outcomes. This volume contains the case studies and a synthesis of findings and other policy implications by Williamson and University of California at San Diego political scientist Stephan Haggard. Other distinguished experts, including Inter-American Development Bank President Enrique Iglesias and Harvard economist Jeffrey Sachs, contribute independent appraisals of the political economy of reform in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and the former Soviet Union.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Policymakers around the world have increasingly agreed that macroeconomic discipline, microeconomic liberalization, and outward orientation are prerequisites for economic success. But what are the political conditions that make economic transformation possible? At a conference held at the Institute for International Economics, leaders of economic reform recounted their efforts to bring about change and discussed the impact of the political climate on the success of their efforts. In this book, these leaders explore the political conditions conducive to the success of policy reforms. Did economic crisis strengthen the hands of the reformers? Was the rapidity with which reforms were instituted crucial? Did the reformers have a "honeymoon" period in which to transform the economy? The authors answer these and other questions, as well as providing first-hand accounts of the politically charged atmosphere surrounding reform efforts in their countries.

About the Author:

John Williamson, senior fellow (retired), was associated with the Institute from 1981 to 2012.

About this edition

• Publisher: Peterson Institute for International Economics
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0881321958
• ISBN 13: 9780881321951
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 624
• Editor: Williamson John