When shock therapy is politically infeasible, will gradualism be feasible? Mussa (1986) conjectured, in the context of a neoclassical model of adjustment, that the answer was "yes". This paper takes up the Mussa conjecture by : (i) building a political economy model in which it makes sense; (ii)...

This paper examines transition dynamics in a search economy. We contrast two extreme cases: a completely unexpected reform and a fully anticipated reform. We view the former as a metaphor for a reform being announced and implemented with immediate effect, the latter as a metaphor for a reform...