Transforming the Lithuanian Economy: From Moscow to Vilnius and from Plan to Market

By the end of the 1980s, the degree of the suppression of free thought in the USSR has diminished appreciably. As a result, various independently developed solutions to a multifaceted Soviet crisis were put forward. The Baltic states /Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia/ have been leading the way in terms of intensity and originality of discussions as well as the progress of reforms. This is not surprising in view of their political and economic predicament /illegal Soviet occupation in the postwar period/ as well as attitudes prevailing among the population. The purpose of this study is to explore economic reform initiatives and their implementation /economic transformation/ in Lithuania during the period starting before independence and ending some five years after regaining it. The broader aim is to contribute to the economics and/or the political economy of the postcommunist change. An international interdisciplinary and comparative perspective is adopted in the study.