ABSTRACT
In December 1991 independence came unexpectedly to Central Asia. The priorities were nation-building and establishing the political regime, but central planning was unsustainable and economic reform could not be avoided. During the 1990s the five countries adopted different varieties of market-based economies; the transition from central planning was essentially completed by 1999. However, assessment of the alternative economic reform strategies was overwhelmed by the resource boom, which dominated all five countries’ economic performance between 1999 and 2014, whether as oil, gas or mineral exporters or as suppliers of migrant labour. Since 2014 all five countries have recognised the end of the boom and need for economic diversification, which requires further reform of the economic systems established during the1990s; responses have varied in nature and in implementation. The extent of reform has been framed by external conditions and, especially, domestic politics. The final section draws conclusions about economic reform and development in Central Asia in the three decades since independence.
