The Transition
That Never HappenedAt Least Not The Way That Was Recommended

About the project

A lot has been written for the Rahn-Utt plan. Attitude towards it vary from “hosanna” to “crucify him”. And between these extreme appraisals lies the thesis that “the program is a philosophy, a methodology and a way of thinking which makes it very valuable for us today”.

By shooting the documentary and writing the book “The Transition That Never Happened: At Least Not The Way That Was Recommended” we have tried to fulfill the following tasks:

- Present the socio-political and economic picture against the background of which the events of the 80s unwound.

- Shed more light on the reasons that stand behind the development of a national strategy, the consistent implementation of which would lead to a gradual and less painful transition towards market economy and democracy.

- Document for future generations the stories of some of the specialists who took part in the development of the report, dubbed after the names of two of the authors – Richard Rahn and Ronald Utt.

- Hear the opinions and the reading of those involved, led by the maxima that “when the facts speak, the gods remain silent”.

The Authors

Krasimir Lakov

Krasimir Lakov is journalist and economist, and holds a Ph.D. in economics. He specialized at the Princeton University, the London School of Economics and Political Science, the Institute of Economics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, and the University of Glasgow. He worked for the Institute of Economics of BAS as senior research fellow. During the 1990-1991 period he was head of cabinet of Deputy Prime Minister Dimitar Ladzev, and between 1991 and 1992 worked as senior economic advisor to Prime Minister Filip Dimitrov.

His journalistic career began in 1985 at the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) as editor and anchorperson of “World Economy”. Later (1991-1995) he worked as editor and anchorman of the economic talkshow of BNT “Plus-Minus”. He also managed the Sofia bureau of radio “Free Europe” during 1994-1995, after which he became deputy director (1995-2003) of the Bulgarian section of the radio in Prague. During 2004-2006 Krasimir Lakov was correspondent of BNR’s “Horizont” radio program in Prague. After that he has been involved in consultancy services as a part of the KS2 team, and since 2011 has been producer of the news programme of the “Bulgaria on Air” TV channel.

Timothy Hyde

Tim Hyde was raised in the Midwest in the US, but has lived in Wahington, DC area for many years. After receiving a degree in history, Hyde spent two decades working in politics and public affairs. He worked for six years for the Republican Party, primarily supervising U.S. Senate races, and on two presidential campaigns. For ten years, he was an executive handling government and political affairs for RJR Tobacco Company. In 1997, he was co-founder of one of the U.S.’s largest and most successful public-affairs firms, DCI Group.

As a photographer, he is best known for his work with natural disasters. He has covered earthquakes in Haiti and Italy, the tsunami in Japan, volcanoes in Iceland, and floods, tornados, hurricanes, and droughts around the U.S. He travels extensively for his photography.

Tim’s photographs have been published in the New York Times and a variety of other publications. He has won awards and exhibited his work around Washington and elsewhere. He was juried into the Multiple Exposures Gallery in 2012. He is also represented by Susan Spiritus Gallery in Newport Beach, California.

Website: www.timhyde.com
Photoblog: www.photoriffs.com

Acknowledgements:

The Vernon K. Krieble Foundation and The Krieble Foundation provided the financial support for the project.

Dr. Richard W. Rahn, Dr. Ron D. Utt, and Mr. Mark A. Bloomfield provided the American editorial support for the written materials and the video.

Ms. Juliana Haydoutova and Ms. Margot Machol also participated in the video project.

Ms. Taisia Bullard provided the administrative support and coordination for the American team.

Cato Institute and Mr. Kevin Sennett provided the studio and technical support of the American portion of the video project.

Mr. Timothy Hyde for his photographs.

Ms. Svetla Kostadinova started the activities of the Bulgarian team for the project realization.

Ph.D. Krassen Stanchev provided methodological support.

Mr. Vencislav Nikolov (cameraman) and Mr. Asparuh Yordanov (editor);

Prof. Mitko Dimitrov, Director of Institute of Economics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences provided the logistic support for the video project.

Mr. Milen Nedev and the whole MTR Design team for the design and development of the project website.

Bulmarket DM, ЕVN Bulgaria and Mr. Bricolage provided photographs.

Ms. Binka Ilieva provided the whole administrative support and coordination of the project.