ECONOMICS AND POLITICS OF TRANSITION IN THEORY AND PRACTICE – WHERE IS CROATIA?

In countries in transition, the transition unfortunatelly started in the atmosphere of the welfare society reform and domination of economic neoliberalism. This is one of the main reasons why transition achievements differvery much from those which theoreticians (better to say visionaries) of the reform and economics and politics of transition, expected. Instead of gradual development of welfare society, in the majority of countries in transition
developed the society with essentially different characteristics. These characteristics refer to all what is denominated as “wild capitalism and market fundamentalism”. So far, the more expressive increase of economic efficiency, earning capacity and profitability, have
not been achieved in majority of countries. The increase of political democratism has been achieved by criterion that every political pluralism is better than political monism. The increase of human rights and freedoms failed the most in social rights and social justice.
The majority of countries suffered the shock because of drastic increase of social differences. Russia and Croatia take the initiative in this. This is shown in researches of the World Bank in the middle of the ninetieth of the last century and at the beginning of this century.
Majority of population, especially in Russia, prefers past economic system. The model of self-managed socialism, according to some scientists (John Hardt and Josip Županov) during the Ante Marković’s government, was the closest to success based on general pluralization. The explosion of the Balkan nationalism prevented that. The best transitional results achieved the countries which resisted successfully the non-critical doctrine of economic neoliberalism. These are Central European countries which are becoming (except Croatia) the members of the European Union. The best results achieved Slovenia which develops a kind of welfare society, and the worst Croatia which should strongly fight to pass the border of the European Union in 2007.