Overcentralization in Economic Administration: A Critical Analysis Based on Experience in Hungarian Light Industry

Overcentralization in Economic Administration (Oxford, 1959) was the first book written by an Eastern European and published in the West that openly criticized socialist central planning. In this work the distinguished economist János Kornai begins a lifelong study of the economic organization of centrally planned economies.

Professor Kornai's aim in this book was to observe the reality of the working socialist system, and to draw conclusions that were not distorted by the laws of Marxist political economy. He provided a lucid and coherent account of conditions, along with normative recommendations which influenced the Hungarian reform process, culminating in the economic changes of 1968. Professor Kornai identified several systematic failures of the centrally planned economy and gave a prescient account of weak economic performance and eventual disintegration. His argument for radical rather than partial change makes this book essential reading for those interested in the economics of transition in Eastern Europe.


Author: János Kornai
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 09/29/2023
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 9.27h x 6.20w x 0.59d
ISBN13: 9780192894427
ISBN10: 0192894420
BISAC Categories:
- Language Arts & Disciplines | Linguistics | General
- Social Science | Women's Studies
- Business & Economics | Industries | General

About the Author

János Kornai, Professor of Economics Emeritus, Harvard University

János Kornai was Professor of Economics Emeritus at Harvard University and Corvinus University of Budapest.