ABSTRACT
This paper reviews the experiences of 14 countries with external liberalization and related policies, based on papers written by national authors following a common methodology. The focus is on transition and Asian economies, with Brazil as an illuminating comparator. The authors provide “thick descriptions” à la Geertz’s (1973) famous Balinese cockfight about how diverse economies responded to rather similar “reform” packages and offer lessons about ongoing institutional change. They also suggest policy shifts that may help make economic performance better in the future than it has been in the past.
