EAS514 POLITICAL ECONOMY OF POST SOVIET TRANSITION
| Course Code: |
8350514 |
| METU Credit (Theoretical-Laboratory hours/week): |
3(0-0) |
| ECTS Credit: |
8.0 |
| Department: |
Eurasian Studies |
| Language of Instruction: |
English |
| Level of Study: |
Graduate |
| Course Coordinator: |
Assist.Prof.Dr HAYRÝYE KAHVECÝ |
| Offered Semester: |
Fall and Spring Semesters. |
Course Content
How did the post-communist countries of Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia undergo the dual transition to democratic governments and market-based economies? This course will address the post-communist countries in general, but will focus on Russia and the Newly Independent States to make the material more accessible to students with no background in the region. The course will proceed chronologically, discussing first the early transition in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Then it will turn to the challenges that the post-communist countries faced throughout the mid to late 1990s. Compared to other similar courses, this course will be less descriptive and more analytical. Throughout the semester, we will discuss questions such as: What was communism as a political and economic system? Why did the Soviet Union collapse? What is the connection between political and economic reforms? Is democracy necessary for a well-functioning economy? Can democracy survive when economic reforms fail? How are post-Soviet leaderships able to come to power and maintain power?
