Socialist Planning

An overview of socialist planning that explains the underlying theory and its limitations, also placing developments in their historical perspective.

Michael Ellman (Author)

9781107074736, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 23 October 2014

440 pages, 14 b/w illus. 40 tables
23.4 x 15.7 x 2.8 cm, 0.74 kg

'Clear, concise, and remarkably comprehensive, the book is written in a style that makes the complexity of the information accessible to inexperienced readers.' S. J. Linz, Choice

Socialist planning played an enormous role in the economic and political history of the twentieth century. Beginning in the USSR it spread round the world. It influenced economic institutions and economic policy in countries as varied as Bulgaria, USA, China, Japan, India, Poland and France. How did it work? What were its weaknesses and strengths? What is its legacy for the twenty-first century? Now in its third edition, this textbook is fully updated to cover the findings of the period since the collapse of the USSR. It provides an overview of socialist planning, explains the underlying theory and its limitations, looks at its implementation in various sectors of the economy, and places developments in their historical context. A new chapter analyses how planning worked in the defence-industrial complex. This book is an ideal text for undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in comparative economic systems and twentieth-century economic history.

Preface to third edition
Abbreviations and glossary
Important dates
1. The rise and fall of socialist planning
2. The traditional model
3. The reform process
4. Planning the defence-industrial complex
5. Investment planning
6. Planning agriculture
7. Planning labour and incomes
8. Planning consumption
9. Planning international trade
10. An evaluation of socialist planning
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Economic history [KCZ], Economics [KC]