In 2009, Paul Dragos Aligica and I published “The Neoliberal Revolution in Eastern Europe“. In that book we attempted to provide a rigorous account of the importance of ideas in social change, as well as correct several myths relating to the transition process following the collapse of communism. I am in the process of revisiting this topic in a series of academic articles that I wish to present here as a book project.

Relevance

The contemporary relevance for these concepts is huge. Skepticism or at least outright hostility to neoliberalism is the academic consensus, and I feel that I have the experience and perspective to make useful contributions to the scholarly debate.

• How does the trauma of the transition to capitalism compare to the trauma of the adoption of communism?
• Was the “peaceful” revolution really peaceful? Was it really a revolution? And was it a neoliberal one?
• Which countries actually transitioned?
• Which factors led to subsequent economic and social success?
• What was the role of shock therapy, relative to other transition strategies?
• What is the role of public opinion during transition? What happened to inequality?
• Are any cases, other than Russia, relevant and instructive?
• Have we reached the end of transition?

Credibility

The following academic publications demonstrate my scholarly expertise in this subject matter:

• Evans, A.J., (2025) “A Survey of Recent Critical Histories of Neoliberalism” Critical Review, Vol. 37, Issue 2-3
• Evans, A.J., (2025) “Four phases of neoliberalism” Journal of Private Enterprise, Vol. 40, No. 2, pp. 55-71
• Evans, A.J., (2025) “Were Chinese style reforms a potential alternative for Russia? A reflection on state capitalism, democratic socialism, and transition”, Journal of Post Communist Economics, forthcoming
• Evans, A.J., (2024) “Competitive authoritarianism, informational authoritarianism, and the development of dictatorship: a case study of Belarus”, Public Choice, Vol. 198, pp. 343-360

Addendum