TACOMA, Washington — Due to each country’s proximity to the Baltic Sea, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are often collectively referred to as The Baltic States. While many former republics of the Soviet Union, such as Belarus, Ukraine and even Russia itself, suffer from high rates of corruption and stagnant economic growth, these three states stand out. Historically known for triggering the U.S.S.R.’s collapse through continued resistance efforts, these nations are now considered the economic marvels of Eastern Europe. Each Baltic State is classified as a high-income economy by the World Bank. Furthermore, they are all in the top 40 countries in terms of the Human Development Index. This begs the question: what are the policies that led to the growth of the Baltic States’ economies? Also, how can these policies be implemented further to help bring Eastern Europe on par with its Western neighbors?