`I read Frank Bönker's book with interest. The book is well documented, balanced, and interesting. The book is overall quite informative and detailed. The comparative approach is convincing and the author demonstrates a deep and detailed knowledge of the three countries and the subject. He also convincingly demonstrates that the topic has an importance that goes beyond the cases analyzed.' - Bruno Dallago, President, European Association for Comparative Economic Studies and University of Trento, Italy `This is a very well organised and clearly written book with convincing arguments and analysis throughout. Its largely jargon-free style makes it accessible to the non-specialist and provides for a thorough and easily read piece of work. As well as being of interest to researchers specialising in this topic, the book should be usable by undergraduate as well as postgraduate students.' - Martin Dangerfield, University of Wolverhampton, UK
This insightful book examines the necessary conditions for the successful initiation and consolidation of unpopular economic reforms. Drawing on the burgeoning literature in the area of policy reform, it features a comparative analysis of fiscal reform in Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic at different stages of the post-communist transformation. This analysis demonstrates that a significant number of the national differences in fiscal reform can be attributed to differences in political constraints. It also reveals that these very constraints change in the course of transformation and have become increasingly similar to the `standard' restrictions which exist in the traditional EU and OECD countries.
This in-depth analysis of the changing role of political determinants in post-communist fiscal reform will strongly appeal to economists and political scientists interested in the political economy of policy reform, post-communist economic transformation and the role of international organizations (IMF, EU) in shaping domestic policy-making. Policy analysts interested in fiscal reform in Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic will also find much to interest them in this book.
