Janerik Larsson
Andrei Shleifer och Daniel Treisman skriver i nästa Foreign Affairs om att länderna som lämnade Sovjetblocket kring 1989 klarat sig bra:
An anniversary is a good moment to take stock. We examine here what has changed in the countries that shook off Soviet-style tyrannies a generation ago. Gathering statistics on economic performance, living standards, health, and politics, we ask whether the facts support the prevailing narrative.
An accurate assessment matters not just for Eastern Europe. The negative view of postcommunist reform influences broader debates on global politics. Along with dire interpretations of the 2008 world financial crisis, it has caused some to see authoritarian state capitalism as the wave of the future. China is cast as a vibrant alternative to the dysfunctions of liberal democracy.
We find that objective evidence contradicts the conventional view. Media images aside, life has improved dramatically across the former Eastern Bloc. Since the start of transition, the postcommunist countries have grown rapidly. Their citizens live richer, longer, and happier lives. In most regards they look today just like other countries at similar levels of economic development.2 They have become normal countries.