The postcommunist transitions in Latvia to a market economy raised doubts about the political sustainability of an economic reform under democracy. At the same time, they turned the attention to the centrality of political factors in economic policy making. Latvia has succeeded in proceeding into the consolidation phase of its market reforms while remaining committed to both political pluralism and macroeconomic austerity. Even if politics were not treated as a mere constraint, the basic question is still: how are the government's adjustment choices modified in the political process?;The book is aimed at departments of economics (courses in political science); Soviet and East European studies; and politics.