Lao People's Democratic Republic

Abstract

This article examines the Lao PDR's changing fortunes regarding turnaround since 1975. The country's poor performance during the first decade and a half of communist rule reflected, on the one hand, poor economic management on the part of the political leadership and, on the other, various factors related to the country's location in the global political economy. While the decisive victory of the communists in 1975 facilitated the achievement of political stability, these various factors worked against strong economic performance. The country's progress vis-à-vis turnaround between the mid-1980s and 2004 reflected changes both in the leadership's approach to economic policy making and in the global political economy as well as the government's continued ability to maintain political control.