The Economies of Central Asia / / Richard Pomfret.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Asian Studies Archive (pre 2000) eBook Package
• VerfasserIn: Pomfret, Richard,
• Place / Publishing House: Princeton, NJ : : Princeton University Press, , [2014]; ©1995
• Year of Publication: 2014
• Edition: Course Book
• Language: English
• Series: Princeton Legacy Library ; 318
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (234 p.) :; 30 tables, 4 maps, 1 frontispiece

This book is the first general introduction to the economies of central Asia, specifically the recently independent countries of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan. Richard Pomfret provides a historical and structural analysis of this area of the former Soviet Union, with an emphasis on their economic situation since independence. With the strategic significance of this part of the world growing by the week, this book provides an invaluable source of material for understanding what has been for Westerners a very mysterious part of the world.The first part of the book deals with the five countries' common features, determined by geography and their role in the Soviet division of labor, which left many parts of the region heavily dependent on a cotton monoculture and facing serious environmental problems (notably the shrinking of the Aral Sea and contamination from nuclear testing). The author goes on to deal with the countries as national economies. Finally, he examines common problems facing the countries since they gained independence in late 1991. These last chapters focus on the immediate economic problems of 1992 and 1993 (economic transition and the decision whether to remain within the ruble zone), as well as long-term development issues and international economic relations.Originally published in 1995.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- List of Tables -- Preface -- List of Abbreviations -- CHAPTER 1. Introduction -- Part One. THE BACKGROUND -- CHAPTER 2. History: From Silk Road to Cotton Fields -- CHAPTER 3. Common Economic Features of the Region -- CHAPTER 4. The Economic and Political Collapse of the Soviet Union -- Part Two. THE COUNTRIES -- CHAPTER 5. Uzbekistan: Oriental Despotism -- CHAPTER 6. Kazakhstan: Wild West in the East -- CHAPTER 7. Tajikistan: Civil War -- CHAPTER 8. Kyrgyzstan: The Switzerland of Asia -- CHAPTER 9. Turkmenistan: The Kuwait of Asia -- Part Three. COMMON PROBLEMS AND FUTURE PROSPECTS -- CHAPTER 10. The Choice of Development Strategy -- CHAPTER 11. Macroeconomic Problems: The Hyperinflationary Ruble Zone -- CHAPTER 12. Regional Relations: The Great Game, Part Two, with New Players -- CHAPTER 13. Regional Problems and National Economic Differentiation -- APPENDIX 1. National Income Comparisons for the Soviet Union and Its Successor States -- APPENDIX 2. Ten Economic Lessons from the Former Soviet Union -- Notes -- References -- Index -- About the Author