Josef C. Brada is Professor Emeritus of Economics at Arizona State University, USA, Foreign Member of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, and President of the Society for the Study of Emerging Markets. His research focuses on international economics, comparative economic systems, and economics of transition. He has served as a consultant to the OECD, the World Bank, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe as well as to governments in Europe and Latin America. Born in Czechoslovakia, he received a BS in Chemical Engineering and an MA in Economics from Tufts University, USA, and a PhD from the University of Minnesota, USA. Paul Wachtel is Professor of Economics and Academic Director, B.S. in Business and Political Economy Program at the Stern School of Business, New York University, USA. His primary areas of research include monetary policy, central banking, and financial sector reform in economies in transition. He has been a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a senior economic advisor to the East West Institute, and a consultant to the Bank of Israel, the IMF and the World Bank. Wachtel is the co-editor of Comparative Economic Studies and serves on the editorial boards of several other journals. He received his undergraduate degree from Queens College, City University of New York, USA, and his MA and PhD degrees from the University of Rochester, USA.