The "Third-Worldization" of a "Second-World" Nation: De-development in Post-Communist Bulgaria

Post-Communist Bulgaria has fared rather poorly in the transition to a capitalist economy. By nearly every macroeconomic standard, it is in worse shape now than in the Communist past. Macroeconomic statistics show that the per capita GNP is sharply down, the social-safety net has all but disappeared, and even the physical survival of many impoverished Bulgarians is in serious peril. This article uses the political-economy approach to analyze the symptoms of sharp socioeconomic de-development, including the weakening of state capacity to perform even the most basic functions and responsibilities. The main conclusion is that in the global center-periphery structure, formerly "Second-World" Bulgaria is increasingly "Third-Worldized," that is, marginalized out of the international division of labor--a finding that raises doubts about the purported "success" of the transitions to capitalist economy in the former state-socialist countries.