The Business Environment in the Transition

Abstract

Following the collapse of planning, new small and medium-sized firms rapidly emerged in all transition economies. Using firm level data, we investigate the interaction between the widespread opportunities for new business activities such firms faced and their business environment. The business environment includes physical infrastructure, the availability of an educated labor force, provision of administrative and judicial services, the control of corruption and crime, and the stability of the macroeconomic environment. By comparing how different elements of the business environment affected firms in formerly planned economies with those in economies outside transition, we document not only the challenges faced by transition firms but also the effects of the planning legacy.

Keywords: infrastructure, human capital, institutions, planned economy, transition, business environment

JEL Classification: D290, H490, M290, P210