THE ECONOMIC DIMENSION OF STATE-BUILDING PROCESSES IN THE CZECH AND SLOVAK REPUBLICS IN THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Abstract

The article provides a comparative historical analysis of the economic dimension of state-building processes in the Czech and Slovak Republics during the first five-year period of independence after the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia on January 1, 1993. The economic legacy of the federal period, which created uneven starting conditions for the development of both states, is analyzed. It is shown that the Czech Republic entered the period of independence with a more diversified industrial structure, a developed service sector, and a more stable financial infrastructure, while Slovakia was characterized by a significant share of heavy industry, a higher dependence on inter-republican production ties, and the need for deeper structural transformations. Particular attention is paid to the state economic policy of the governments of both republics in 1993–1998. The institutional design of the economic statehood of the Czech Republic is highlighted, which was based on accelerated privatization, macroeconomic stabilization, central bank independence, and foreign trade liberalization, which contributed to faster adaptation to market conditions and integration into the European economic space. In contrast, in Slovakia, the state retained significant control over strategic sectors, carried out gradual privatization, and actively regulated the financial and socio-economic sphere, which allowed to ensure stability and form the institutional foundations of economic independence. The importance of the economic factor as one of the key instruments of consolidation of new states in the post-socialist period is emphasized. It is shown that the nature and pace of economic reforms directly influenced the formation of the administrative capacity of the state, the legitimacy of power institutions and the ability of governments to implement independent domestic and foreign policies. It is concluded that differences in the initial economic conditions and models of transformation led to different trajectories of economic support for state formation in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, determining the features of their further political and socioeconomic development.