Acknowledgements List of Tables List of Figures List of Boxes List of Abbreviations List of Contributors Introduction: Political Economy and Public Finances István Benczes I. Cross-Country Analysis of Public Finances in Central and Eastern Europe 1. Economic Freedom and Public Debt in Central and Eastern Europe Oliver Treidler 2. Political Business Cycles: Theory and Empirical Findings for the CEE Region András Olivér Németh 3. The Strategic Use of Public Debt in Central and Eastern Europe Vera Takács and István Benczes 4. Varieties of Capitalism and Public Finances in Central and Eastern Europe Zsolt Szabó II. Case Studies in the Public Finances of Central and Eastern Europe 5. Passive Macroeconomic Populism in the Baltics Gábor Kutasi 6. Values, Norms, and Beliefs: The Case of Poland Judit Kozenkow 7. Critical Junctures and Unintended Consequences: The Case of Hungary István Benczes 8. Structural Reforms in a Low-Trust Environment: The Case of Slovakia Dóra Gyorffy 9. Europeanization with a Detour: The Case of Croatia Fruzsina Sigér Index