The Working Group on Development and Environment in the Americas, founded in 2004, brings together economic researchers from several countries in the Americas who have carried out empirical studies of the social and environmental impacts of economic liberalization. The Working Group's goal is to contribute empirical research and policy analysis to the ongoing policy debates on national economic...

Lance Taylor is the Director of the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA) and the Arnhold Professor of International Cooperation and Development at the New School for Social Research. Rudiger von Arnim is a Research Assistant. This SCEPA Policy Note is based on their 2006 paper for Oxfam International titled, “Modeling the Impact of Trade Liberalization: A Critique of Computable ...

Privatization and market liberalization are widely considered to be complementary reforms in transition economies. This article challenges this view and the closely related " big bang " approach: when pursued too vigorously, privatization may impede the transition process following liberalization. Our result is based on an explicit model of market learning. Compared to a mature market, a market...