Planning and Profits in Socialist Economies

Jean-Charles Asselain, Jill Rubery, John Andrew Wilson

Foreword by Ed Hewatt Introduction Part I 1. The Fundamental Elements of the Centralized Model The System of Directives The Incentive System 2. From the requirements of the model to the realities of socialist countries The Freedom of the Enterprise and the aims of the intermediate supervisory bodies Planning versus 'spontaneous processes' Part II Introduction to Part II 3. Quasi-Cyclical Changes The swings in economic policies Decentralising reforms and the processes of recentralisation 4. The basic trends The proliferation of priorities and increased rigidities The increase in the fundamental imbalances The appearance of new distinctions Part III The reforms and their aftermath 5. Limited or fundamental reform? The common ground The main differences and the distinguishing features of the two main types of reform 6. The USSR and East Germany: the remains of the reforms The lessons of the Soviet Reform The lessons of the East German Reform The evolution of the economic policies and the overall performance of the Soviet and East German economies 7. Hungary: the reform that survived The setting up of the reform 1968-73: 'golden age' of the reform? The NEM on trial Conclusion: decentralized socialism, profits and competition