The records in this series primarily relate to the World Bank's involvement in the transition from planned to market economies in Russia immediately following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Records specifically relate to missions made by Bank officials, including John Nellis, to the then Soviet Union in September and October 1990 and to Russia in November 1991 and August and September 1992. Series primarily consists of handwritten notes written by Nellis during these missions.

The 1990 mission to the Soviet Union was the World Bank's first and was undertaken with staff from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The mission resulted in the publication of the joint authored 'The Economy of the USSR: Summary and Recommendations'. During the trip, John Nellis's role was to examine the prospects for enterprise reform and privatization primarily through interviews with Soviet ministries (including Ministry of Justice and various sector and union ministries), other government officials, companies, financial authorities, and academics.

Notes taken by Nellis during these interviews are included in this series. The handwritten notes are heavily annotated in Nellis's hand. A transcription of the notes is also included as is a brief summary of the trip authored by Nellis and submitted to a select number of Bank staff. Further, notes authored by Nellis for a presentation to Bank President Barber Conable are included. The presentation, dated November 10, 1990, is titled, "Soviet Economic Study: Enterprise Reform and Privatization Component" and summarizes what the mission to the Soviet Union learned about potential enterprise reform and suggests avenues for the Bank's involvement in the reform process. In addition, a World Bank Discussion Paper authored by Nellis entitled "Improving the Performance of Soviet Enterprises" is included. The paper is based on interviews undertaken by Nellis during the 1990 mission and was published in 1991.

Records relating to a second trip to Moscow by Bank officials in November 1991 are also included. The purpose of the trip was to gain knowledge about the state and its economy and advance the process of enterprise reform and privatization. Notes are, again, handwritten and heavily annotated by Nellis. The World Bank team also stopped in Hungary and notes from Nellis's meetings in Budapest are also included. A mission summary authored by Nellis entitled "Privatization in the Republic of Russia" is also included.

Records relating to a third trip to Moscow in August and September of 1992 are also included in this series. Nellis was charged with researching corporate governance and property funds. Again, records include handwritten notes made by Nellis during interviews with Russian government officials and other interested parties, both Russian and international. Topics include: economic and political developments in Russia; privatization efforts; voucher program; corporate governance; finance sector; energy sector; foreign investment; and inflation.

The series also contains a small amount of notes made by Nellis during a series of talks and meetings between May 18, 1992 and May 27, 1992. The notes appear to have come from the same notebook as the Soviet Union/Russia notes. These events include a number of Bank staff and external parties speaking on privatization in Russia and EasternEurope. A separate set of notes on a talk by World Bank staff member Qimiao Fan in April 1995 on restructuring of Russian enterprise is also included.