Revaluation of the Past Experience and the Future of Economic Reform in Poland

Abstract

The socialist economy, society and socialist central planning in particular have developed so much over the past decades that some revaluation of the underlying concepts and premisses now seems desirable. Such a revaluation is called for not only because of the accumulation of ideas and evidence, but also because the socialist socioeconomic reality is showing important new directions of change, both within national boundaries and worldwide. Patterns of thought have to be adapted to this changing reality. Man should not become a servant of his creations, and this holds true for ideas as well. Thus these new directions of change call for a new conceptualisation in the field of the socialist economy with a view to elaborating the most desirable institutions and policies for the future. This conceptualisation is the main subject of this chapter.