Abstract
Romania has achieved considerable economic progress lately, but is still entangled in its own recent past and risks becoming a chronically unsuccessful EU applicant. While Europe endorsed a big bang enlargement to ten countries, with Romania and Bulgaria to follow in 2007, evidence both historical and contemporary is scarce to prove that economic catch up is possible. More often than not, development tends to group countries in regional clusters, and Romania has belonged so far with the rest of South-Eastern Europa, in the most economically backward group. Comparative analysis shows that the different results achieved by post-communist countries in their turn towards democracy and capitalism depend on the conditions at the onset of the transformation, rather than to the transition management.1 Nevertheless, the extent to which the heritage of communist times was tackled is a crucial factor in explaining successful or failed transitions.
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Reference
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Regular Report on Romania’s Progress towards Accession, (Brussels: Commission of the European Communities, 13. 11. 2001 ).
Based on: S. Ionita and L. Voinea, “The Challenge of Development” Romanian Annual Early Warning Report ( Bucharest: UNDP and the Romanian Academic Society (SAR ), 2002 ).
The phrase was coined by former Finance Minister Daniel Däianu, see: Romanian Annual Early Warning Report (UNDP) and Romanian Academic Society (SAR): 2002).
The indicator used is the Hirschmann concentration index shows the degree of concentration, or specialisation, in foreign trade. This index varies between 0 and 1 (or 0% and 100%) — normal values correspond, according to UNCTAD calculation (data available for 1998 ), to an average index of 0.16 for transition economies and 0.17 for developed economies. Significantly lower values indicate low concentration (numerous products contribute with small shares in total trade), while significantly higher values indicate high concentration (a few products contribute with large shares in total trade). See: L. Voinea, No Harry Potter in Romanian Foreign Trade, (Bucharest: UNDP and Romanian Academic Society ( SAR ), March. 2002 ).
CEFTA is a free trade area among its members; each member has signed an EU Association Agreement, and the advanced stage of their implementation determines similarities in CEFTA’s external tariff, at least with the EU.
Robert Dahl classified democracies in formal or procedural (formal rules, from free elections to civilian control over the military is accomplished) and substantial (not only the democratic norm is officially set, but compliance with the norms is generalised behavior). See: R.A. Dahl, Democracy and its Critics (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1989).
Data released by the Pro-Democracy Association.
Based on BOP Metromedia 2001.
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See: M. Comsa, Fetele schimbarii (Bucharest: 1993 ).
According to Eurobarometer,poll by CURS, October 2001.
Unless otherwise specified, public opinion data originates from a survey by SAR-CURS, November 2001.
SAR-CURS poll, representative for urban Romania, August 2001.
1.6 million Hungarians and roughly one million Roma of a total of 22 million.
Regular Report on Romania’s Progress towards Accession, (Brussels: Commission of the European Communities, 13. 11. 2001 ).
For a thorough review, see: C.. Iordachi: C.. Iordachi, “The Romanian-Hungarian Reconciliation Process. From Conflict to Co-operation ” Romanian Journal of Political Science 2. 3–4 (2001).
Such as the Covasna-Harghita scandal provoked by the Romanian Service of Information.
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See: A. Mungiu-Pippidi, Transilvania subiectiva (Bucharest: 1999 ).
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Ibid.
For more details on the concept of ‘particularism,’ see: G. O’Donnell, “Illusions about Consolidation” The Global Divergence of Democracies, eds. L. Diamond and M.F. Plattner (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Pres, 2001).
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Mungiu-Pippidi, A. (2003). Romania: the Eternal Candidate?. In: van Meurs, W. (eds) Prospects and Risks Beyond EU Enlargement. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-663-11183-2_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-663-11183-2_12
Publisher Name: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden
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