This year marks the 25 year anniversary of the breakup of the Soviet Union. Countries in the region display wide variety in their progress towards market economies with democratic political systems and strong and independent judicial institutions. There are many reasons brought up in the literature for these differences in outcomes, such as initial conditions, a history of democracy and EU integration. The main point, though, is that transition is still an unfinished business in parts of the region. Furthermore, the lessons learned from the region’s experience, and the subfield of economics that emerged from the transition experience, is also increasingly seen as relevant for understanding global challenges with economic and political transitions, as for instance seen in the Middle East and North Africa region. The consequences of the unfinished transition is particularly pertinent today, with economic, political and demographic challenges also spilling into global geo-political tensions and frictions within the European Union. The Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics will host an academic conference at the Stockholm School of Economics to bring together researchers with an interest in transition economics, broadly defined, to contribute to a scholarly debate on the current state of transition, transition economics and the implications for the future of the region and its global implications. Among already confirmed speakers are Gerard Roland, Konstantin Sonin, Erik Berglöf, Anders Åslund, Ruben Enikolopov, John Earle, Guido Friebel, and Leonid Polischuk. Read more: https://www.hhs.se/site

1. SITE Academic Conference
25 years of transition
December 5-6, 2016
SITE, Stockholm School of Economics,
Stora Salen

2. This year marks the 25 year anniversary of the breakup of the
Soviet Union. Countries in the region display wide variety in their
progress towards market economies with democratic political
systems and strong and independent judicial institutions. There are
many reasons brought up in the literature for these differences in
outcomes, such as initial conditions, a history of democracy and
EU integration. The main point, though, is that transition is still an
unfinished business in parts of the region. Furthermore, the lessons
learned from the region’s experience, and the subfield of
economics that emerged from the transition experience, is also
increasingly seen as relevant for understanding global challenges
with economic and political transitions, as for instance seen in the
Middle East and North Africa region. The consequences of the
unfinished transition is particularly pertinent today, with economic,
political and demographic challenges also spilling into global
geo-political tensions and frictions within the European Union.
The Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics will host an
academic conference at the Stockholm School of Economics to
bring together researchers with an interest in transition economics,
broadly defined, to contribute to a scholarly debate on the
current state of transition, transition economics and the
implications for the future of the region and its global implications.
Among already confirmed speakers are Gerard Roland,
Konstantin Sonin, Jeffrey Sachs, Anders Åslund, Ruben Enikolopov,
John Earle, Guido Friebel, and Leonid Polischuk.
Welcome
Anders Olofsgård
Deputy Director at the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics,
Associate Professor at the Stockholm School of Economics

3. Conference program
Registration and Coffee
Introduction by Anders Olofsgård, SITE
Anders Åslund, Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council
“SITE and the Post-communist Transition”
Konstantin Sonin, John Dewey Distinguished Service Professor,
University of Chicago
“Economic Transition and the Rise of Alternative Institutions”
Coffee break
Paper presentations – part 1
Ruben Enikolopev, Universitat Pompeu Fabra
”Social Media and Protest Participation: Evidence from Russia”
John Earle, George Mason University
”Political Connections and Economic Outcomes: Evidence from
Oligarchs and the Orange Revolution”
Pamela Campa, Calgary University
“Politico-economic Regimes and Attitudes: Female Workers under
State-socialism”
Lunch break
Paper presentations – part 2
Erik Meyersson, Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics
“Industrial Espionage and Productivity”
Helena Schweiger, European Bank of Reconstruction and
Development
“Are science cities fostering firm innovation? Evidence from
Russian regions”
Guido Friebel, Goethe University Frankfurt
“Making managers matter: Evidence from a retail firm in a
transition country”
Coffee break
Day 1
08.30-08.55
08.55-09.00
09.00-10.00
10.00-10.30
10.30-10.45
10.45-12.15
12.15 -13.15
13.15-14.45
14.45-15.00

4. Paper presentations – part 3
Leonid Polischuk, Higher School of Economics and Uppsala
University
“Chronicles of a Democracy Postponed: Cultural Legacy of the
Russian Transition”
Panel on the future of CIS and CEE countries
(Moderator: Elena Paltseva)
• Helena Schweiger, European Bank of Reconstruction and
Development
• Igor Livshits, University of Western Ontario
• Tymofiy Mylovanov, Kiev School of Economics
• Torbjörn Becker, SITE
• Bas Bakker, IMF
Dinner (by invitation)
15.00-15.30
15.30-17.00
19.00-
Day 2
09.00-10.00
10.00-10.20
10.20-10.40
10.40-12.10
12.10-13.00
Gerard Roland, E. Morris Cox Professor of Economics and Professor
of Political Science, Berkeley
“The Evolution of Post-communist Economic systems”
Jeffrey Sachs, University Professor at Colombia University, on video
link
“Reflections on the Transition after a Quarter Century: The
Misunderstood Dimensions of Geography and Geopolitics”
Coffee break
Paper presentations – part 4
Monika Oczkowska, Centre for Economic Analysis
“Shocked by therapy: employment patterns across the socio-
economic transition threshold in Poland”
Ina Ganguli, University of Massachusetts Amherst
“Did the Soviets Solve the “Productivity Puzzle”?: Gender
Differences in Science During Transition”
Charles Becker, Duke University
“Bride Abduction in Kyrgyzstan: social rationale and personal
consequences”
Lunch

5. Paper presentations – part 5
Olga Kupets, Kiev School of Economics
“Investment in human capital in post-Soviet countries: Why are
firms not training more?”
Lukas Kleine-Rueschkamp, University of Oxford
“The Impact of Transition on Well-Being”
Panel on Economics of Transition literature
(Moderator: Anders Olofsgård)
• Konstantin Sonin, University of Chicago
• Gerard Roland, Berkeley University
• Charles Becker, Duke University
• Paul Wachtel, New York University
• John Earle, George Mason University
Closing remarks by Anders Olofsgård, SITE
13.00-14.00
14.00-15.15
15.15-