Balanced or Unbalanced Development: Special Economic Zones as Catalysts for Transition
研究转型经济中为何采取不平衡发展战略，即优先发展经济特区，以应对社会支出压力和产权保护缺失问题，并解释中国经验及俄罗斯经济问题。
We develop a theory for a transition economy under which an unbalanced development strategy that favors special economic zones emerges as a response to two critical problems: (1) political pressure to satisfy certain social expenditure requirements and (2) the lack of institutions to constrain the state from expropriation. By promoting the concentration of resources in some areas, a low equilibrium trap can be avoided, while important spillover effects may be generated elsewhere. The experience of China with special economic zones and coastal open areas is interpreted in this light. Some problems in the Russian economy are also discussed in the context of this theory.J. Comp. Econom.,March 1998, 26(1), pp. 117–141. Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-6072.