Constitutional political economy applies an economic approach to the analysis of constitutional choice. Initially, research clearly leaned towards legitimizing the state and its actions. However, the transitions taking place in Central and Eastern Europe have made apparent the necessity to improve our knowledge of the working properties of alternative constitutional rules, thus stressing the importance of positive analysis. The authors analyse both the opportunities and dangers of importing constitutions from around the world into this area. The papers assembled in this volume deal with the question of what individual transition processes have taught us in terms of constitution-building. The book contains analyses of post 1989 constitutional developments in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe from the perspectives of varied disciplines; including academics, politicians and the judiciary. Constitutions, Markets and Law will be welcomed by scholars of transition studies and political economists as well as practitioners of, and academics with an interest in, constitutional law.

It is now almost a decade since central and east Europe saw the demise of the Soviet-style economic planning which accompanied more ot less authoritarian political rule by communist parties. The economic thought, based on Marxist philosophy, which formed theoretical underpinning of centrally planned socialist economies, was peculiar to the region, and was radically different from mainstream western thought. Written by leading east European scholars, this volume provides a comprehensive and authoritative resource: a wide-ranging overview of fifty years of economic thinking under communist rule in Europe and during the first phase of post-communist transformation. It also provides an analytical assessment of the impact of economic science on the reform and transition process. The book includes six country-specific studies, for Russia, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Eastern Germany and Yugoslavi. Each one surveys the relevant literature and its interaction with the development of the socialist and post-socialist economic system in the period 1945-1996. The studies show that, despite Soviet dominance and the shared Marxist paradigm, development of economic thought was not uniform, a finding which supports the hypothesis formulated in the introductory chapter that differences in system critique and reform thinking can explain later differences in transformational performance. Laszalo Csaba, Budapest University of Economics, Hungary; Vladimir Gligorov, Vienna Institute for Comparative Economic Studies, Austria; Jiri Havel, Prague High School of Economic

The economic thought, based on Marxist philosophy, which formed theoretical underpinning of centrally planned socialist economies, was peculiar to the Soviet and eastern European region, and was radically different from mainstream western thought. Written by east European scholars, this volume provides an overview of 50 years of economic thinking under communist rule in Europe and during the first phase of post-communist trnasformation. It also provides an analytical assessment of the impact of economic science on the reform and transition process. The book includes six country-specific studies, for Russia, Poland, Hungary, former Czechoslovakia, Eastern Germany and the former Yugoslavia. Each one surveys the relevant literature and its interaction with the development of the socialist and post-socialist economic system in the period 1945-1996. The studies show that, despite Soviet dominance and the shared Marxist paradigm, development of economic thought was not uniform, a finding which supports the hypothesis formulated in the introductory chapter that differences in system critique and reform thinking can explain later differences in transformational performance.

Political, social, and economic transformation is a complex historical phenomenon. It can adequately be analysed only by a multidisciplinary approach. The Handbook brings together an international team of scholars who are specialists in their respective research fields. It introduces the most important areas, theories, and methods in transformation research, with particular attention placed on the historical and comparative dimension. Although focussing on post-communist and other democratic transformations in our epoch, the Handbook therefore presents and discusses not only their problems, paths, and developments, but also deals with the antecedent 'waves', beginning with the Meiji Restoration in Japan in 1868 and its aftermath. The book is structured into six parts. Starting with basic concepts as systems, actors, and institutions (Section I), it gives an overview over major theoretical approaches and research methods (Sections II and III). The connection of theory and method with their application is essential, allowing special insights into the past and opens analytical avenues for transformation research in the future. Section (IV) provides a historically oriented description or interpretation of particular 'waves' or types of societal transformation. With a clear focus on present transformations, the contributions to Section V provide a description and discussion of the problems, structures, actors, and courses of the transformations within different spheres of (civil) society, politics, law, and economics. Finally, brief lexicographic entries in Section VI delineate research perspectives and facts about relevant issues of societal transformation. Each of the 79 contributions contains a concise list of the most important research literature.

Transformation als nicht-evolutorischer gesellschaftlicher Wandel ist ein historisches Phanomen der Moderne. Gegenstand des Handbuchs sind Felder, Theorien und Methoden der sozialwissenschaftlichen Transformationsforschung. Am Anfang stehen die drei grossen Paradigmen der Transformationsforschung: System, Institutionen und Akteure. Es folgen prominente Forschungsansatze unter anderem aus der Modernisierungstheorie, dem Strukturalismus, dem Historischen Institutionalismus, der Entwicklungsoekonomik und der Politischen OEkonomie. Ein weiterer Teil ist den Methoden gewidmet. Quantitativ-statistische Verfahren werden hier ebenso vorgestellt wie makro-qualitative Methoden, Methoden aus der Ethnographie, den Wirtschaftswissenschaften und der Diskursanalyse. Nach einem UEberblick uber die wichtigsten historischen Wellen gesellschaftlicher Transformationen folgt ein Blick auf Spharen der Transformation wie Recht, Staat, Wirtschaft und Zivilgesellschaft. Mehr als vierzig kurzere Stichworte von A wie Autokratiefoerderung bis W wie Wohlfahrtsregime vertiefen einzelne transformatorische Grundprobleme. Dieses Handbuch integriert politikwissenschaftliche, soziologische und wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Perspektiven. Daneben finden rechts- und kulturwissenschaftliche Zugange Berucksichtigung.

The present volume contains the proceedings of the workshop "Transformation of th Social Security: Pensions in Central-Eastern Europe," held on March 27-28, 1998 in Berlin. The workshop was realised in the context of the multi-disciplinary research programme "The Transformation of Economic Systems and the Reform of Societies in Central and Eastern Europe," currently conducted at Frankfurt Institute for Transformation Studies, European University Viadrina, Frankfurt (Oder). The programme, involving economists, cultural and political scientists, sociologists and jurists, is funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. The editors would like to express their appreciation for this invaluable source of financial support. Moreover, special thanks are due to two people who, in spite of a tight schedule, have done their best to improve the readability and appearance of this book: Melany Jacobs made skilful linguistic improvements to the original manuscripts, while Andreas Paul took great care over the final layout. Contents Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . V List of Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1X Introduction: Transforming Social Security - Pensions in Central-Eastern Europe Katharina MOiler, Andreas Ry/l and Hans-JOrgen Wagener . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 I. Transition and Social Security in Central-Eastern Europe Social Security - A Second Phase Transformation Phenomenon? Hans-JOrgen Wagener . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 The Transformation of Social Security in Central and Eastern Europe Krzysztof Hagemejer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 II. Issues and Role Models in the Pension Reform Debate The Controversy Between the Pay-As-You-Go System and the Fully-Funded System in Old-Age Security Hermann Ribhegge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 The Political Feasibility of Pension Reform in the Light of Demographic Change Friedrich Breyer and Klaus Stolte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Die in den vergangenen Jahren stark gewachsenen Europa-Studien unterscheiden sich von der EU-Integrationswissenschaft. Europa-Studien beschaftigen sich starker mit historischen und kulturellen Kontexten, und sie setzen sich mit der politischen, rechtlichen und wirtschaftlichen Integration nicht allein auf der EU-Ebene auseinander. Das Zusammenwachsen Europas hat viele Facetten, deswegen haben Europa-Studien einen multidisziplinaren Anspruch. Dieses Buch nahert sich dem Phanomen der Integration Europas auffunf Ebenen: Kultur, Politik, Recht, Wirtschaft, Integration. Konzipiert ist der Band als Einfuhrung und Einstieg in die Vielgestaltigkeit der wissenschaftlichen Auseinandersetzung mit Europa.
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Der Band fasst die Beitrage zu einem Symposion zusammen, das die Europa-Universitat Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder) zu Ehren ihres ehemaligen Rektors Hans N. Weiler veranstaltet hat. Behandelt werden die zentralen Fragen einer moglichen Reform der Universitaten, wie sie zur Zeit die Diskussion bestimmen."

Transformation has become the major puzzle of economics for the last decade of this century, and not of economics alone: it has so many ideological, cul- tural, juridical, social and political ramifications that it will take some time to construct a framework within which the process can be analyzed proper- ly. Economists usually discern three major aspects of transformation, macro- economic stabilization, institutional reform and restructuring. Since transfor- mation was not only caused by political will, after the demise of more or less totalitarian regimes, but also by a manifest economic crisis, the success of the operation will be judged by its ability to bring the transforming economies back on a road of self-sustained economic growth. Macro-economic stabilization is considered a precondition of growth as well as of institutional reform and restructuring. It is theoretically understood best, and can be implemented rather directly. This is much less true of institutional reform and restructuring. Where they are functioning well, competitive market economies have emerged over a long period of time. Nowhere do they exhibit theoretically pure forms, and economic theory does not understand well the process oftheir constitution. However, it seems evident that institutional reform is also mainly a task of policy. As for restructuring, there is much less consensus that this is the case. The schools of thought differ in their opinion about the role of the state in guiding production and investment decisions.

Paradigmata und Parabeln erfreuen sich in der Okonomie gro er Beliebtheit. Wenn anders nicht, so kann man zumindest auf diese Weise der komplexen, sich stlindig lindemden Realitat beikommen. Doch das Standesbe tsein eines echten Okonomen wiirde sich emstlich verletzt flihlen, stlinde am Anfang einer Arbeit: , Es war ein mal . . . " und nicht: "Gegeben sind . . . ." Die Analyse von Wirtschaftssystemen kann auf ein derartiges Be tsein keine Rticksicht nehmen - das racht sich in dem ihr zugemessenen Status. Denn will man die Gegebenheiten erkliiren, so ist man in den meisten Fallen auf die Vergangenheit angewiesen. Und was diese anbetrifft, so liegen Geschichte und Fabel hiiufig nicht a11zu weit auseinander. Nur braucht bei einer Fabel der Realitatsgehalt nicht an den darin berichteten Tatsachen gepriift zu werden. Kurz: die foigende alte russische Tiergeschichte darfhier erzahlt werden: Der LOwe, Konig der Tiere, lag einmal krank in seiner Hohle. Die anderen Tiere strichen in gehOrigem Abstand urn den Eingang der Hohle und Uberlegten, wie sie am besten den leidigen Krankenbesuch hinter sich bringen konnten. Als erster nahm sich der Hase ein Herz, ging in die Hohle, in der die Luft zurn Schneiden war, und wtinschte dem Lowen gute Besserung. Der LOwe raunzte ungehalten den Hasen an: , Ehrlich, Hase, wie hiiltst du es hier aus? Es mu hier doch fiirchterlich stinken. " Der Hase, dem schon die Augen tranten, war ehrlich: , Mit Verlaub - ja, Majestat. " Daruber wurde der LOwe noch ungehaltener, und er fr den Hasen auf."