In Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, the transition away from a planned economy and an authoritarian state has been in progress for years. Tremendous changes in the operation of the economy and the organization of the state have occurred, yet deep problems remain.

Beginning in spring 2000, The Honesty and Trust Project — a program co-directed by Professor Susan Rose-Ackerman and Harvard economist Janos Kornai—assembled scholars from all over the world to examine institutional honesty and trust in the former Soviet Bloc. The scholars came to the Institute for Advanced Study at the Collegium Budapest to consider how democracy, bureaucracies, the rule of law, corruption, and markets interact within the region.

Professor Rose-Ackerman has published two co-edited books based on the Project’s research along with her own work, From Elections to Democracy: Building Accountable Government in Hungary and Poland.