Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2005, 13(3):27-47 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.149
History and Concept of the Czechoslovak Economic Reform (1965-1969)
- Prof. Dr. Jiří Kosta, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main (e-mail heinz-jirka@gmx.de).
The study describes the concept of the Czechoslovak economic reform prepared in 1964-65 and introduced gradually in 1966-68. The reform was, however, never fully implemented, and was scrapped following the political changes of 1968/69.
The brief introduction gives an outline of the causes which created the conditions favouring the elaboration of the draft of a new economic system which was subsequently accepted by the political leadership of the country.
The next section of the study summarizes the origin, development and demise of the reform, whose nature can be expressed by the motto from "decentralization to democratization". The main part of the study is the chapter devoted to the description and analysis of the major features of the proposed reform concept as it was formulated during the Prague Spring of 1968. These basic features are: (1) macro-economic planning, (2) a regulated market mechanism, and (3) the democratization of decision-making.
The concluding part of the study puts forward the view that the mentioned three features point to a system presenting an alternative to those that exist in the East and in the West. The statistical appendix lists and comments on data illustrating the economic results of the reform endeavour. A selection of literature compiled at the end is confined to studies published on the subject mainly by Czechoslovak economists living in the Western "exile".
Keywords: economic history of Czechoslovakia, economic reforms, planning, market mechanism
JEL classification: N14, O11, P20
Published: October 1, 2005 Show citation
References
- ADAM, J. (1974): Wage, Price and Taxation Policy in Czechoslovakia, 1948-1970. Berlin (West), 1974.
- KOSTA, J.: viz autorovy práce k čs. ekonomické reformě šedesátých let, uvedené v připojeném výběru jeho publikační činnosti, bod (4), období 1971-1977.
- KOSTA, J. (1978): Abriß der sozialökonomischen Entwicklung der Tschechoslowakei 1945-1977. Frankfurt am Main, 1978
- KREJČÍ, J. (1972): Social Change and Stratification in Postwar Czechoslovakia. London, Macmillan, 1972.
Go to original source... - SELUCKÝ, R. (1972): Economic Reforms in Eastern Europe. Politcal Background and Economic Significance. New York, Praeger Publishers, 1972
- SELUCKÝ, R. (1969): The Plan that Failed. London, 1970 (německá verze: Reformmodell CSSR - Entwurf einer sozialistischen Marktwirtschaft oder Gefahr für die Volksdemokratien? Reinbeck bei Homburg, 1969)
- ŠIK, O. (1972): Der dritte Weg. Die marxistisch-leninistische Theorie und die modeme Industriegesellschaft. Hamburg, 1972 (překlady do světových jazyků)
- ŠIK, O. (1976): Das kommunistische Machtsystem. Hamburg, Hoffmann und Campe, 1976 (překlady do světových jazyků)
- ŠIK, O. (1979): Humane Wirtschaftsdemokratie. Ein dritter Weg. Hamburg, A. Knaus, 1979 (překlady do světových jazyků).
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