5th NORDIC-BALTIC CONFERENCE IN REGIONAL SCIENCE
GLOBAL-LOCAL INTERPLAY IN THE BALTIC SEA REGION
Pärnu, Estonia, October 1-4, 1998

Prof. Örjan Sjöberg
Stockholm School of Economics BOX 6501, 11383 Stockholm, Sweden
Tel.: 46 8 736 9679    Fax: 46 8 34 7818
E-mail: japos@hhs.se

Assessing the progress and effects of the transition from central planning is a worthy scholarly pursuit. Yet our ability to analiyse the events as they unfold before us is clocely related to the quality of the inputs to our analysis. One particular problem relates to the reability and coverage of statsistics on the varios aspects of the transition itself. While it can be argued that we no longer have to contend with Soviet area distortions and manipulation, the transition brings a fair nimber of concrete examples, this keynote speech suggest that the study of transition would benefit from a diversity of affiliation or theoretical preferences would do well to carefuly consider the results of work applying alternative methodologies or drawing upon other sholarly traditions.