The Transition Trap

This book explores the transition from Soviet socialism to the present state of Central Asia's five countries. The role of the of state in regulating the market has been nowhere so topical, yet highly controversial, as in the case of five post-communist Central Asian states (namely, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) since they acquired their independence from the Soviet Union in early 90s. The region’s economic landscape has undergone profound structural changes towards liberalization over the past three decades. However, in none of the regional states economic transition from the command economy to the free-market economy has reached its logical end, and the state retains a colossal interference over the market affairs. This study, detailed and insightful, will attract scholars of the region, journalists, and analysts of geopolitics.