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Economic policy and planning (general) --- Uzbekistan --- Kazakhstan

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Transition literature has emphasized stabilization and enterprise restructuring. Both cross-country analyses and country-specific studies have tended to focus on fiscal stabilization and its indicators, highlighting the importance of quantitative fiscal adjustment to stabilization outcomes. Less attention has been paid to the qualitative dimensions of fiscal adjustment in transition. Alam and Sundberg take stock of the extent to which fiscal adjustment has occurred during the first decade of transition in both qualitative and quantitative dimensions. They define quality as the extent to which: (1) pro-growth expenditure essential for creating future economic and social assets are maintained; (2) pro-poor expenditure, such as poverty-targeted transfers, necessary to ensure income for the poor and vulnerable are adequately provided; and (3) fiscal risks, impinging on both expenditure and revenue, are managed through transition. The authors conclude that while the quantitative magnitude of the fiscal adjustment was dramatic, the quality of this adjustment has compromised the social and economic objectives of transition, particularly in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). They draw four main conclusions: Investments in public services fell in both absolute and relative terms; Reduced spending on government transfers contributed to a sharp increase in income inequality in the CIS; Fiscal risks increased during the transition; Initial conditions allowed Central European and Baltic countries to maintain higher expenditures, which may have contributed to their faster economic recovery and political support for the reforms. The authors argue that the challenge today for fiscal policy in these countries is to facilitate the transition-particularly in reallocating resources from large state-owned enterprises to new small and medium-size firms, and providing priority public services and targeted transfers to assist those adversely affected by transition and reverse the deterioration in social outcomes. The interplay between fiscal policies and institutional arrangements is increasingly important as transition economies embark on their second decade of reforms. In particular, incentives embedded in the institutional arrangements for fiscal management needs to be strengthened so that policies, resources, and outcomes can be better aligned, and the fiscal adjustment is consistent with qualitative considerations. This paper-a product of the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Sector Unit, Europe and Central Asia Region-is part of a larger effort in the region to understand economic transition in former centrally planned economies. The authors may be contacted at aalam@worldbank.org or msundberg@worldbank.org.

Banks and Banking Reform --- Debt Markets --- Economic Recovery --- Expenditures --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- Financial Literacy --- Fiscal Adjustment --- Fiscal Imbalances --- Fiscal Management --- Fiscal Policies --- Fiscal Policy --- Fiscal Risks --- Fiscal Stabilization --- Fiscal Transition --- Incentives --- Macroeconomic Stabilization --- Outcomes --- Public Enterprises --- Public Sector Economics and Finance --- Public Sector Expenditure Analysis and Management --- Public Services --- Revenues --- Social Outcomes --- Structural Reform --- Tax Systems --- Transition Economies

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""....a most interesting report. I have read it with considerable interest, and have learned a lot. It tells a clear story, and it contains a lot of interesting material.""- Anthony Atkinson, Professor Nuffield CollegeOxford University, United Kingdom ""The key conclusion of the report is that rapid economic growth is fundamentally important for job creation and, consequently, reducing poverty.""- Ewa Balcerowicz, President of the BoardCenter for Social and Economic Research, Warsaw, Poland While the countries of Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union have made significant progress in redu

Social stratification --- Social policy --- Economic growth --- National wealth --- Economic conditions. Economic development --- Russia --- Eastern and Central Europe --- Poverty --- Equality --- Egalitarianism --- Inequality --- Social equality --- Social inequality --- Political science --- Sociology --- Democracy --- Liberty --- Destitution --- Wealth --- Basic needs --- Begging --- Poor --- Subsistence economy --- Europe, Eastern --- Former Soviet republics --- Economic conditions --- Economic conditions.

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Despite a common parentage for most of the twentietch century, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan followed seemingly different paths in the transition to a market economy. Uzbekistan adopted a cautious gradual approach to market reform, while Kazakhstan followed a more aggresive strategy. But has Kazakhstan done better economically?

Capitalism --- Kazakhstan --- Uzbekistan --- Economic conditions --- Economic policy