The Arab and Post-Communist Transitions: Similarities, Differences, and Common Lessons

Marek Dabrowski

Acta Oeconomica, 2016, vol. 66, issue 2, 181-212

Abstract: At the onset of the mass protests in 2010–2011, many politicians and experts suggested that Arab countries could learn from the experiences of the post-communist transition of the early 1990s. However, the geopolitical, historical, and socio-economic context of the Arab transition was different in many respects from that of the former Soviet bloc countries 20 years earlier. These differences became even more obvious five years later, in early 2016, when most Arab transition attempts ended either in a new wave of authoritarianism, or protracted bloody conflicts. Nonetheless, there are some common lessons to be learnt from the history of both transitions. They concern interrelations between the political and economic transition, the role of institutional checks and balances and the rule of law, the speed of reforms, the dangers of ethnic and sectarian conflicts, and the role of external support.

Keywords: post-communist transition; Arab Spring; political reform; economic reform; macroeconomic stabilisation; development issues; energy subsidies; conflict (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E62 E63 F15 H24 H56 H62 H63 I25 O15 P21 P22 P51 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
Note: The earlier version of this paper, “Transition Experiences of Europe and CIS: An Overview and Opportunities for Cross-Regional Sharing with the Arab States”, was commissioned by the UNDP and presented at the Special Session on “Cross-Regional Knowledge and Experiences Sharing between Europe and the Arab States” held during the First Arab States Regional South-South Development Expo, February 20, 2014, Doha, Qatar. The previous version has been substantially revised and updated. The opinions presented here are solely of the author and not necessarily of the institutions which he is affiliated with.
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