This year marks the 25-year anniversary of the breakup of the Soviet Union. Countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have tread the transition process towards market economies, open and democratic political systems, and strong and independent judicial institutions at very different paces. This year's Development Day will be held on May 27 at the Stockholm School of Economics. The theme of the day-long conference is "Traces of transition: Unfinished business 25 years down the road?". As in previous years the event is organized jointly by SITE and the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The day will feature a mix of international scholars and practitioners from the public, private and civil society sectors. We invite you to read more about the conference topic, speakers and panelists below on conference program.

1. Development Day 2016
‘Traces of Transition: Unfinished Business 25 years down
the Road’
May 27
SITE, Stockholm School of Economics
Stora Salen (entry through Holländargatan 32)
9.10-9.25: Registration and coffee
9.25-9.30: Welcome
9.30-10.00: Status report on Transition 2016
SITE presentation including introducing the FREE network and our new web platform
10.00-12.00: Panel 1. A region at a crossroads? (Panel background below)
Stefan Gullgren, Head of Department for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Ministry for
Foreign Affairs
Tymofiy Mylovanov, President of Kyiv School of Economics (UR)
Eric Livny, Director of International School of Economics, Tbilisi State University (GE)
Michal Myck, Director of the Centre for Economic Analysis, CenEA, in Szczecin (PL)
Natalya Volchkova, Policy Director Centre for Economic and Financial Analysis (RU)
Bas Bakker, Senior Regional Resident Representative for Central and Eastern Europe,
IMF
Kateryna Bornukova, Research Fellow at Belarusian Research and Outreach Center (BL)
12.00-13.00: Lunch
Success factors in transition: Leveraging capital for growth and development
13:00-13:15 Keynote: Oscar Stenström, State Secretary, Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation
13.15-14.30: Panel 2. Unlocking human potential: Gender in the region (Panel background below)

2. Anne Boschini, Associate Professor, Stockholm University
Irina Alkhovka, Chairperson of Board, Gender Perspectives, Belarus
Olena Nizalova, Research Fellow, University of Kent
Andrea Spear, Independent Trade and Investment Adviser and Aid-Project Evaluator
Elsa Håstad, Assistant Director General, Dept. for Europe and Latin America, Sida
14.30-14.45: Coffee break
14.45-16.00: Panel 3. Private sector development and structural transformation (Panel
background below)
Irina Denisova, Professor New Economic School
Erik Berglöf, Director Professor of the Institute of Global Affairs, LSE
Dariusz Rosati, Professor of Economics and member of the European Parliament.
Heinz Sjögren, Chairman, Swedish Chamber of Commerce for Russia & CIS
16:00-16:05 Closing remarks
Conference Dinner (by invitation) will be held on May 26th
.

3. Traces of transition: Unfinished business 25 years down the
road?
This year marks the 25-year anniversary of the breakup of the Soviet Union. Countries in the
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have tread the
transition process towards market economies, open and democratic political systems, and strong and
independent judicial institutions at very different paces. The European Bank of Reconstruction and
Development’s (EBRD) transition indicators reveal that several countries in Eastern and Central
Europe, as well as the Baltic countries, made substantial progress early on and has maintained that
momentum until today. On the other hand, many countries are still very far from the ideal of a
market economy, and progress has been slow. Uzbekistan and Belarus perform worse today than
they did in 1995, while Russia, Turkmenistan and the Kyrgyz republic have seen just a very slight
improvement during the last 20 years. Indicators of the depth of democracy reveal a similarly mixed
set of outcomes. Except for a few countries on the Balkan, all countries in Eastern and Central Europe
and the Baltic nations are labeled free by Freedom House. Among the remaining former Soviet Union
nations, Ukraine, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Georgia are labeled partly free and the rest as
not free. In the case of Russia, labeled partly free until 2005, the trend is even negative. Finally,
success in the fight against corruption has been equally uneven. All Eastern and central European
countries and the Baltic States rank among the 50 % least corrupt countries in the world according to
the latest Transparency International Corruption Perception Index. All other former Soviet Union
states, except Georgia, rank among the 50 % most corrupt countries in the world.
There are many reasons brought up in the literature for these differences in outcomes
(initial conditions, history of democracy, EU integration to mention a few) but the main point is that
transition is still unfinished business in parts of the region and that the lessons learned from the
economics of transition analysis is now seen as relevant also outside this specific geographical
context (the EBRD now also provide transition indicators for the MENA region). The unfinished
transition is particularly pertinent today, with economic and political challenges facing countries in
the region contributing to global geo-political tensions. The prime minister of Russia recently
referred to the current situation as a new cold war, pitting the west against Russia in Ukraine and
Syria, and around global interests such as trade, oil prices and economic sanctions. Squeezed in the
middle are Eastern Partnership countries pushed to choose side through economic carrots and sticks,
and at times outright political/military threats. What does this mean for the future? Will the current
crisis serve as a momentum towards deepening reforms and closer ties to the west, or will it instead
mean a political backlash and further weakening of institutions critical for economic and political
development? Meanwhile, the political reaction in some CEE countries to the refugee situation in
Europe has given rise to concerns for the depth and sustainability of democratic principles. Is it too
early to proclaim success in this part of the region? The purpose of Development Day 2016 is to bring
together the academic, business, civil society and government communities to discuss the current
state of transition, what it means for the world of today and what to expect for the future.

4. Panel background
Panel 1. A region at a crossroads?
The purpose of this panel is to discuss where we are 25 years down the road of transition, and to
look forward. What are the consequences internally of the only partial economic, political and
institutional transition in many countries of the region? What are the prospects for deepening
economic and political reforms looking forward? Will the current challenges, both economically and
on the global political arena, trigger a backlash or serve as a game changer in the direction of market
reforms, more open politics and increased effort against corruption and organized crime? What role
can outside actors, including the EU and the Swedish government, play in the future direction of the
Eastern Partnership countries? What does the current “migration crisis” in Europe reveal about the
depth of transition in Eastern European EU members?
Panel 2. Unlocking human potential: Gender in the region
Gender equality is a multidimensional concept including economic, political, social, and cultural
factors. Discrimination against women has macroeconomic consequences as it involves limiting the
economic potential and ambitions of half of the population, but of course also more direct welfare
consequences for women as a group. The countries in the region have generally a rather mixed
record when it comes to gender equality. The socialist system emphasized female labor force
participation and the extension of public services in education and health for instance, and the region
still compares quite well on these aspects in indicators such as the World Economic Forum Global
Gender Gap (though the economic ranking has been falling over time). When it comes to political
representation, though, the countries generally perform much worse in a global perspective.
Domestic violence (according to some sources as many as 40 women die every day in Russia due to
injuries from domestic violence), human trafficking and prostitution are also great concerns in the
region, with devastating consequences for women and children. The purpose of this panel is to
discuss both the economic and social dimensions of gender inequality; what does current research
has to say about the causes and consequences of gender inequality, what is the current state of
gender inequality in the region, and what are the consequences of this both for the economy as a
whole and the welfare of women as a group?
Panel 3. Private sector development and structural transformation
The importance for economic development of a productive, competitive and innovative private
sector is well known. For such a sector to thrive, the economic, legal and political business climate is
crucial. Financial sectors much function, property rights be protected, regulations be predictable and
moderate and corruption and crime be under control. Several of the countries in the region are
currently under economic stress and look to privatization and private sector development as an
important way out. Crisis may thus serve as an incentive for reform in this case, but times of crises
may on the other hand not be the best time to sell publicly owned assets and the experience of mass
privatization in the 1990s was mixed at best. The purpose of this panel is to discuss the opportunities
and challenges for private sector development in the region at this moment.