The Planned Economies of Eastern Europe

by Alan H. Smith

Overview

First published in 1983, The Planned Economies of Eastern Europe provides a penetrating analysis of the Eastern European economies, beginning with an examination of the Soviet model on which they are based. An interesting comparison is made between the levels of economic development in these countries before and after adopting the Soviet model. The effect of the model in generating rapid industrial growth by giving priority to heavy industry without regard to the raw material base, and in doing so, neglecting agricultural development, is looked at in detail. This is followed by a survey of proposals to reform the system put forward by Polish, Hungarian, and Czechoslovakian economists.

A discussion of the role of money and the problems of consumer equilibrium, and the problems of foreign trade, both inside and outside Comecon, concludes this in-depth and constructive review.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781040400821
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/01/2025
Series:	Routledge Revivals
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	260
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Alan H. Smith was Emeritus Professor of Political Economy at UCL SSEES. A firm believer in knowledge exchange, he advised government departments and corporations. He organized regular seminars for the Ministry of Defence. He was active in the Royal Institute of International Affairs, and after the fall of the USSR organized the Post-Soviet Business Forum there.

Table of Contents

Part 1. The Origins and Operation of Central Planning 1. The Development of the Stalinist Economic System in the USSR 2. The Origins of the Stalinist Model in Eastern Europe 3. The Planning System in Eastern Europe 4. Innovation and Economic Reform Part 2: Wages, Retail Trade and Consumer Equilibrium 5. Money, Banking and Consumer Equilibrium 6. Macroeconomic Equilibrium and the Control of Inflation in Eastern Europe: Theory 7. Wage Pressures and Open Inflation in Eastern Europe Part 3: International Economic Relations 8. The Economic and Institutional Background to East European Trade 9. Economic Integration and the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) 10. East-West Trade and the Strategy of Import-Led Growth 11. The Energy Crisis and East-West Trade