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Baudrillard Goes to Kyiv: Institutional Simulacra in Transition

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  • Christopher Andrew HARTWELL

    (Kozminski University, POLAND.)

Abstract

The transition process in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union from 1989 onward has been focused on the reform of institutions in order to re-orient the economy. However, throughout the former Soviet space, “transition” has been merely a label for many countries, covering the reality of a fundamental lack of change in either political or economic institutions. Using the idea of simulacra and simulation, first posited by philosopher Jean Baudrillard in 1981, I show how institutional change in transition for some prominent “transition economies” has proceeded through stages in simulation. In particular, using examples from Central Asia and Ukraine, I examine how crucial institutions have changed from a perversion of reality into symbols that are divorced from any reality. Current events in Ukraine show that institutional simulacra can exposed when an exogenous reality forces its way through.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher Andrew HARTWELL, 2015. "Baudrillard Goes to Kyiv: Institutional Simulacra in Transition," Journal of Economic and Social Thought, KSP Journals, vol. 2(2), pages 92-105, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:ksp:journ3:v:2:y:2015:i:2:p:92-105
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Oliver E. Williamson, 2000. "The New Institutional Economics: Taking Stock, Looking Ahead," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 38(3), pages 595-613, September.
    2. Ulrich Witt, 1989. "The evolution of economic institutions as a propagation process," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 62(2), pages 155-172, August.
    3. Christopher A. Hartwell, 2013. "Institutional Barriers in the Transition to Market," Studies in Economic Transition, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-137-32371-2, February.
    4. Kaufmann, Daniel & Kaliberda, Aleksander, 1996. "Integrating the unofficial economy into the dynamics of post-socialist economies : a framework of analysis and evidence," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1691, The World Bank.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Institutions; simulacra; transition; Ukraine.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B25 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925 - - - Historical; Institutional; Evolutionary; Austrian; Stockholm School
    • B52 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - Historical; Institutional; Evolutionary; Modern Monetary Theory;
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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