Socialist economic reform, political freedom, and democracy
Titel:
Socialist economic reform, political freedom, and democracy
Auteur:
Prybyla, Jan S.
Verschenen in:
Comparative strategy
Paginering:
Jaargang 7 (1988) nr. 4 pagina's 351-360
Jaar:
1988
Inhoud:
The socialist economic system of central planning fails in four crucial respects: it is a system of chronic shortage; it is monstrously wasteful; it is dynamically inefficient; and it creates a state of permanent tension between order-givers and order-receivers. The situation is actually worse than it looks and in the absence of real reform it will continue to deteriorate. Real reform means transformation of the system of central planning into a market system with private property rights. The ideas underlying market institutions (economic freedom) are similar to and dovetail into the notion of political freedom which is a precondition of democracy. While the market does not guarantee freedom and democracy, it is a necessary condition of freedom. On the other hand, there can be no political freedom (hence no democracy) if the economic system is one of central administrative command planning (socialism). The failure of all socialist economic systems to move boldly to market system transition is due, among others, to the linkage between the market system, political freedom, and ultimately real democracy. But failure to move toward such transformation will mean that the socialist system will die by decay or revolution. This death can be postponed by financial, intellectual, and other aid from the world's capitalists, democratic governments, and progressive intellectuals.