Socialist Economies and the Transition to the Market: A Guide

As central planning disappears from what was the socialist world, no viable economic systems have emerged to take its place. The integration of these countries into the international economic system and the development of market economies in them are among the most pressing economic problems of the future. The Socialist Economies and the Transition to the Marketprovides the most comprehensive treatment available of economic change in all the former socialist economies and the various routes they may take to the market. While some problems are common to all command economies, others are confined to particular countries. This study examines the main feature of Soviet-type economies, foreign trade and its reform, and the various schemes which have been put forth for the transformation of these economies. Ian Jeffries includes chapters on individual countries ranging from Cuba and Albania to the former Soviet Union and China. These chapters provide an overview of thepolitical and historical background of the individual countries as well as all the economic detail necessary to understand their current dilemmas.