Socialism, Capitalism, Transformation

Author: 
Leszek Balcerowicz
ISBN: 
978-1-85866-025-7
out of print
ISBN: 
978-1-85866-026-4
cloth
$95.00 / €85.00 / £75.00
Publication date: 
1995
384 pages

This volume gathers together essays on the theme of economic transition in Central and Eastern Europe, written by the former Polish Minister of Finance.  In it, the author summarizes the research on institutions, institutional change and human behaviour that he has undertaken since the late 1970s.  He addresses such issues as the socialist market economy, reformability of the Soviet-type economic system, democratization and market-orientated reform in Central and Eastern Europe, and the Polish model of economic reform. 

Professor Balcerowicz is an experienced policymaker as well as a scholar of international repute, and the essays that make up this volume are both accessible and authoritative.  

Part 1: Problems with the definition of socialism in todays world

On the ‘socialist market economy’
‘Socialist calculation debate’ and reform discussions
On the reformability of the Soviet-type economic systems
Towards an analysis of ownership
Political and economic regimes

Part 2: Understanding post-communist transitions

Economic transition in Central/ East Europe
Various roads to a private market economy
Macropolicies in transition to a market economy
Common fallacies in the debate on economic transition

Part 3: Polish economic reform 1981-88

Political economy of economic reform in Poland 1989-92
Transition to a market economy - Poland 1989-93

Conclusion

Financial Times

"In this book Prof Balcerowicz brings together 17 academic articles that summarise his research on the process of radical economic transformation... It is an impressive volume which makes a convincing case for the post-communist transition to be as rapid as possible."

Michael Bruno, Vice President and Chief Economist, Development Economics Department, World Bank

“As the main architect of Poland's post-communist economic transition, Leszek Balcerowicz is uniquely qualified to write on the transition from socialism to capitalism. . .The papers provide valuable insight into the progress, not only of the political economy of the reforms, but into the debate on alternative economic systems which preceded them. This debate is still ongoing in some countries, so that Central and Eastern Europe's experience, as analysed here, is of great practical, as well as historical and analytical, interest.”

Slavonica

“This volume is fascinating and a very useful addition for those with an interest in the process of transition.”