What Was Behind the Delay in the Bulgarian Privatization Process? : Determining Incentives and Barriers of Privatization as a Way of Foreign Entry

It is conventionally thought that to develop competition in a transition economy, privatization, restructuring, and creation of new firms should take place first. Bulgaria's experience raises the question of whether its chosen methods of privatization reform, and the pace of this reform, are sufficient to promote competition in such a market. To answer this question, we explore the barriers and the incentives, that foreign multinational enterprises (MNEs) have faced during their participation in the Bulgarian privatization programs. This paper investigates those questions on the basis of survey data. It was determined that Bulgarian privatization deals have been accelerated since 1997. On the other hand, Bulgaria still lacks transparency and abolishment of monopolies; at the same time, its bureaucratic procedures and small progress are in the transition process.