Bertelsmann Transformation Index 2003 : Towards Democracy and a Market Economy

Reform-oriented groups around the world struggle to democratize their countries and to strengthen economic power – under different conditions and with varying degrees of success. The peaceful transition from authoritarian regimes to democracies with a market economy poses enormous challenges for the citizens and politicians of these countries. Generally, however, the public became aware only of spectacular events within the process of transition. Until now, there has been no systematic analysis of transformation processes to aid in learning from past experiences and errors. The Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI) serves to fill this knowledge gap. Comparing the status of democracy and market economy on an international basis (Status Index), the BTI also provides comprehensive data on the quality of political management in 116 transition countries from 1998 to 2003 (Management Index). The detailed country reports are documented on the enclosed CD-ROM.