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.Economic reform measures introduced in Poland have been the most radical and ambitious in the newly free countries of Eastern Europe. In a short time that country has moved from a centrally planned economy to a free-market system. The ramifications and implications of these economic reforms are influencing economic thought and planning in other recently liberalized, formerly communist societies.
Raphael Shen asserts that measures taken to transform the Polish economy should be implemented over time rather than overnight, and should be moderate rather than radical. Throwing the centrally planned system out and replacing it with the free-market system instantly means that, in the short term at least, Poland will have no smoothly functioning system in place. The necessary economic infrastructure and basic institutions have had no time to develop. The contrived market system cannot function in a meaningful way. The current experience in Poland has already led to extensive disillusionment among Polish consumers and doubts among academicians. The Polish experience will be a valuable lesson in economics for students and decision makers. Shen's book valuable to students, teachers, and researchers in the areas of comparative economic systems, economic development, and economic history.
List of contents
Introduction
Poland in Historical Perspective
The Structure and Functioning of the Economy, 1945-1989
The Polish Economy in Light of Performance Criteria
The Main Legacies from the Past
The Polish Economy in Transition, 1987-1989
Fiscal and Monetary Policies
Pricing and Income Policies
Manpower and Employment Policies
Industry: Privatization
Agriculture
Foreign Investment Policy
Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade
Needed: Enterprise-Level Adjustments
Reform Prospects, Recommendations, and Conclusions
Chronology of Significant Events, January 1989-December 1990
Selected Bibliography
Index
About the author
RAPHAEL SHEN is a professor in the College of Business Administration at the University of Detroit. He has published many article abstracts in the
Atlantic Economic Society Journal and has contributed essays to books and conferences.
