Conference 

# The Transition from Communism 25 Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall: Lessons for Non-Free Societies 

Date and Time 

October 15, 2014 9 AM - 1 PM EDT 

Location 

1st floor/Wintergarden 

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##### Featuring 

Featuring **Oleh Havrylyshyn**, Department of Economics, George Washington University and University of Toronto; **Peter Murrell**, Mancur Olson Professor, Department of Economics, University of Maryland; **Krassen Stanchev**, Executive Director, Institute for Market Economics, Bulgaria; **Dalibor Rohac**, Policy Analyst, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute; **Andrei Illarionov**, Senior Fellow, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute; **Mikheil Saakashvili**, Former President, Republic of Georgia; moderated by **Marian L. Tupy**, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute; and **Ian Vasquez**, Director, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute. 

Following the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, communist governments crumbled throughout the Soviet bloc. By late December 1991, the Soviet Union itself ceased to exist. The pace of transition from communist dictatorship to democracy and market economics was uneven. Some countries experienced high rates of economic growth and rapid return to political freedom, while others remained stuck in poverty and authoritarianism. Which reforms worked and which did not? What were the pre-conditions for a successful transformation and what lessons can non-free societies learn from the experiences of former communist countries?

| **9:00 a.m.** | **Introduction** [**Marian L. Tupy**](https://www.cato.org/people/marian-tupy) Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute |
|:--|:--|
| **9:15–10:45 a.m.** | **Panel 1: Economic Transition In Ex-Communist Countries: What Have We Learned from Different Approaches To Reforms?** [Download a video of this panel](https://cdn.cato.org/archive-2014/cc-10-15-14-01.mp4) [Download a podcast of this panel](https://cdn.cato.org/archive-2014/cca-10-15-14-01.mp3) Moderator: [**Marian L. Tupy**](https://www.cato.org/people/marian-tupy) Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute **Oleh Havrylyshyn** Department of Economics, George Washington University and University of Toronto **Peter Murrell** Mancur Olson Professor, Department of Economics, University of Maryland **Krassen Stanchev** Executive Director, Institute for Market Economics, Bulgaria |
| **10:45–11:00 a.m.** | **Break** |
| **11:00 a.m.–12:45 p.m.** | **Panel 2: Institutional Transition: Slow and Difficult, But Not Impossible** [Download a video of this panel](https://cdn.cato.org/archive-2014/cc-10-15-14-02.mp4) [Download a podcast of this panel](https://cdn.cato.org/archive-2014/cca-10-15-14-02.mp3) Moderator: [**Ian Vasquez**](https://www.cato.org/people/ian-vasquez) Director, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute [**Dalibor Rohac**](https://www.cato.org/people/dalibor-rohac) Policy Analyst, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute [**Andrei Illarionov**](https://www.cato.org/people/andrei-illarionov) Senior Fellow, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute **Mikheil Saakashvili** Former President, Republic of Georgia |
| **12:45 p.m.** | **Lunch** |

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