FROM CENTRAL PLANNING TO MARKET ECONOMY: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN LITHUANIA AND UZBEKISTAN
Keywords:
economic transition; post-Soviet economies; Lithuania; Uzbekistan; market reforms; institutional development; trade openness; economic diversification; structural transformation; European Union integration; state-led development; human capitalAbstract
This study investigates the economic transformation of Lithuania and Uzbekistan following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, with a focus on their transition from centrally planned to market-based economies. Despite similar initial institutional conditions, the two countries adopted divergent reform strategies. Lithuania implemented rapid liberalization and achieved early integration into European economic structures, while Uzbekistan pursued a gradual, state-led approach, accelerating reforms only in recent years. Using a comparative analytical framework, the study examines historical context, reform trajectories, macroeconomic performance, and structural change. The study highlights that effective institutional reform, economic openness, and investment in human capital are critical determinants of sustainable development in transition economies.
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