ABSTRACT

A popular revisionist idea, spearheaded by Joseph Stiglitz, is that the post-Soviet countries have suffered from overly radical reforms and that they should have opted for more gradual reforms. After having become independent, the new Ukrainian leadership focused on the building of national institutions and the establishment of national insignia, largely disregarding economic policy and economic reform. In strictly economic terms, Ukraine was not particularly badly off at the time of independence in comparison with most other post-Soviet states. Radical reforms were initially discarded as characteristic Russian rashness that was incompatible with Ukrainian peacefulness and moderation. Ukrainian businessmen seem to spend most of their time hanging around Parliament or government, while Russian businessmen seem to spend more time on their actual enterprises. The Ukrainian government is far more cohesive and homogeneous than the Russian government, which is deeply divided into openly opposing groups.