Russia's Way from a Planning toward a Market: A Success Story?

In order to answer the question raised in the article's title, a comprehensive study of Russia's transition process was conducted. With respect to the current growth rates in Russia, one may ask whether they indicate (1) success of transition or (2) favourable external circumstances such as rising prices for oil, gas etc. Analytically, progress in transition has been approximated by productivity and efficiency estimates, which are generally expected to rise during transition. In general, little evidence of such rising trends was found. Instead, notable ups, downs and divergences among regions were uncovered. According to this analysis, Russia's current growth rates can be attributed neither to general success of transition nor to Putin's reforms. Hence, the question mark of the article's title remains.JRC.J.3-Knowledge for Growt