The enlargement of the European Union and NATO: ordering from the menu in Central Europe

In 2004 the European Union and NATO each added ten new member states, most from the post-communist countries of Eastern and Central Europe. In order to qualify for membership, these countries had to make a myriad of changes. They often emulated practices common in Western Europe, sometimes resulting in more effective and efficient institutions, sometimes resulting in failures. Wade Jacoby examines the trends in various fields and in several countries.