| The fall of communism in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union generated a lot of optimism both in the countries of the region, and in the established democracies, about the emergence of democratic systems of government in the region and the development of solid market economies. Despite some successes, in a few of the countries that undertook the path of democracy and adopted market economic policies, the future outlook for the region looks rather bleak. This is the result of an unexpected surge in crime and corruption throughout the former communist countries. These two negative phenomena have affected the transition to democracy and capitalist market economies so profoundly that, in some countries, the influence of crime and corruption has completely overcome the process, hijacking it for the benefit of minority vested interests. This thesis endeavours to explain this particular negative evolution and to offer solutions from the perspective of political economic theory (or from a political economy perspective), taking as a case study one former communist country in the region: Romania. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
