Czechoslovakia: Recent Economic Developments and Prospects
分析捷克斯洛伐克在二战后从民主市场经济转向苏联式计划经济，导致人均GNP从接近西欧水平降至仅为其五分之一的衰退过程，并探讨1968年改革尝试及后续恢复中央计划的影响。
Czechoslovakia provides a unique example of a country that became underdeveloped as a result of an externally imposed system. Before World War II, Czechoslovakia was a democracy, with GNP per capita similar to that of Belgium and Austria. Its industries were on the technological edge and its products were known worldwide for their superb workmanship. By 1990, Czechoslovak GNP per capita is estimated by the World Bank at $3,300, thus being comparable to that of Venezuela, Gabon, and Yugoslavia, but only slightly above one-fifth of that of Austria and Belgium.1 Most Czechoslovak products are now of mediocre quality and selling at a discount, if at all, in the West. This remarkable transition occurred over approximately 40 years. During the postWorld War II reconstruction, the country was still run as a market economy, although major parts of industry, banking, and insurance were already nationalized. After the 1948 Communist takeover, Soviet-type economic planning was imposed, the remaining private enterprises were nationalized,2 and priority was given to heavy industry. Czechoslovak foreign trade was reoriented from world markets toward Soviet bloc countries. The Czechoslovak government adhered to the Soviet-type planning system faithfully throughout the 1950's. The economic slowdown in the early 1960's led to a series of reform attempts, that culminated during the Prague Spring of 1968 with a short-lived and partial program of price liberalization, separation of economic policy from political decision making, enterprise autonomy, and workers' participation in enterprise management. However, central planning was reimposed after the 1968 invasion and remained virtually intact until the late 1980's.