ABSTRACT
After the collapse of communism in Central and Eastern Europe in 1989/1990, the countries of Post-Soviet Central Asia gained their independence and turned their economies towards an economic order based on markets. While two decades might not be a serious period to reckon with for historians, it enables economists, political scientists and sociologists to base their analyses and predictions of the transition on some empirical material. Certainly, the information and signals received during this transition period could be interpreted differently, and therefore a reliable theoretical framework is necessary in order to avoid speculation and unsubstantiated claims. This chapter relies on the theoretical debate regarding shock therapy and gradualism (Kolodko 2000). Analyses on gradual transition and shock therapy will serve as a general backbone and tool for the comparison of Kazakhstan's and Uzbekistan's transition choices. Therefore, this chapter tries to answer the following research questions:
What kind of transition strategy was applied and to what extent did a market economy emerge in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan?
Which country has done better in terms of transition towards a market economy and why?
