The New Russia: Transition Gone Awry - Tapa dura

"[An] excellent, well-organized, and useful collection about economic reform in postcommunist Russia. . . . The strength of The New Russia lies in the editors' thoughtful and thematic organization of the material, the consistency of argumentation applied to a panoply of economic issues, the depth and rigor of analysis throughout, and the prescription for recovery in the 'Reform Agenda' and 'Call for Action.'" -- Slavic Review "No writing or oratory in history has been more replete with bad advice than that given Russia in the last decade. Here, for a change, is something very good-the best, in fact, that truly competent and responsible American and Russian scholars have to offer. I strongly recommend it." * John Kenneth Galbraith * "This admirable work has contributions from an impressive group of specialists who cover the topic comprehensively. Balanced, reasonable transitions in various economic sectors are urged persuasively and in some cases even eloquently. The book has the potential for making a significant impact." -- Ralph T. Fisher, Jr. "A searching critique of the strategy favored in the West . . . it contributes fresh perspectives on the much debated question concerning the 'big bang' versus 'gradualism' in communist economic transformation." -- Abram Bergson

This book delivers an unexpected and unpopular message: the West played a pivotal role in the Russian economic disaster of the 1990s. It shows how Western advisors, including the International Monetary Fund and the U.S. Treasury, applied a narrow conception of economics that pushed Russia, after more than 70 years of communism, toward another failed Utopia.