The Socialist economies and the transition to the market : a guide /

Jeffries (Univ. of Wales, UK) is editor or coeditor of three anthologies and author of the less-ambitious A Guide to the Socialist Economies (CH, Jun'90), to which the present volume is a compact, compendious sequel. Conceptually, this new work consists of two parts. The first covers the pre-1989 communist period for Eastern Europe and separately for countries outside that area, for some of which, like China and North Vietnam, the present is still the communist period. The novel second part tells the story of the transition to market economies for the countries of Eastern Europe, basically to mid-1992, updated in the "Postscript" to early 1993. Jeffries provides a good historical review and a convenient record of events that enable readers to understand better the present conditions of transitions in the individual countries covered, while also discussing some still current problems, especially in the sections on general issues. The bibliography, while voluminous, is understandably not quite comprehensive. This volume provides useful factual and historical background, but for understanding current conditions in the fast-changing era of transformations it has to be supplemented by journals and newspapers. Recommended for all graduate and faculty collections.