CEE/CIS Research Project on CITIES

"CITIES: An Analysis of the Post-Communist Experience," is a research program organized by two GDN regional hubs, CERGE-EI and EERC-Kyiv, spanning the regions of Central and Eastern Europe along with the CIS states. This Interregional Research Project (IRP) was the first multi-hub GDN project in either region. This IRP project sought to use the natural experiment of the move from the inherent "out-of-market equilibrium" structure of cities in the post-communist world towards a more normal structure over the past 20 years, combined with a comparison to the historically determined development of comparable cities in the West, to gain insight into the important features of 21st century urban life.

The growth of cities is a global phenomenon with significant policy implications. Moreover, the study of cities can be undertaken using multiple disciplinary frameworks. Urbanization has an impact on economic conditions, health, social welfare, transport, politics, civic society etc. Hence, the project is interdisciplinary by nature. This project complemented the 2009 World Development Report, which focused on Economic Geography but omitted the unique environment of the CIS and CEE.

The four general research themes utilized are:

1. City Growth
2. The Economics of Cities
3. The Sociology of Cities
4. The Governance of Cities

The actual papers and names of the authors who participated in this project are listed below.

City Growth

Ciprian Necula (Romania), Alina Nicoleta Radu (Romania), Uladzimir Valetka (Belarus), Kamila Muhamedkhanova (Uzbekistan)

Size Distribution and Growth of Cities in Transition Economies: A Cross-Country Investigation
Completed Paper

Tatiana Mikhailova (Russia)
Looking for Multiple Equilibria in Russian Urban System
Completed Paper

The Economics of Cities

Maksim Belitski (Belarus)
Driving Urban Economic Growth: Within Europe and Beyond
Completed Paper

Volodymyr Vakhitov (Ukraine)
Are There Urbanization Economies in a Post-Socialist City? Evidence from Ukrainian Firm-Level Data
Completed Paper

Frederic Laurin (Georgia)
The Real Estate Risk Premium in Central and Eastern European Cities
Completed Paper

The Sociology of Cities

Rasa Baločkaitė (Lithuania)
Transformations of the Soviet Union Utopias: Case of Visaginas, Lithuania and Tychy, Poland
Completed Paper 01 || Completed Paper 02

The Governance of Cities

Martin Gregor (Czech Republic), Lenka Šťastná (Czech Republic)
Local Government Efficiency: The Case of Czech Municipalities
Completed Paper