János Kornai - Böcker

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.

This book provides a comprehensive account of the structure, conduct, and performance of the centrally planned economies of Eastern Europe, the USSR, Communist China and the Marxist LDCs, looking at 26 nations in all.The author focuses on reform, perhaps the most important issue facing countries such as the USSR, Poland, Hungary, and China. Bureaucracy, soft budget constraints, markets, and the nature of the socialist state are the central issues that arise in the course of reforming a socialist economy.The first half of the book deals with 'classical socialism' and provides a theoretical summary of the main features of a now closed period of history. The second half deals with the processes of reform and concludes that the reform of classical socialist systems is doomed to failure as they are unable to renew themselves internally.

In Dynamism, Rivalry, and the Surplus Economy, János Kornai examines capitalism as an economic system and in comparison to socialism. Kornai explains his view of capitalism as an economy of surplus--a chronic excess of supply of goods and labor. This environment breeds rivalry among producers, which in turn encourages innovation. Socialism, on the other hand, is defined by a shortage of goods and labor and excess of demand. Whereas socialism is slothful and imitative, capitalism is dynamic and progressive. The two essays of this book will explore these differing ideologies on macro and micro levels, ending with definitive explanations of how the systems work and how they develop.

Kornai presents an assessment of Hungary's transition from a socialist to a market economy. In a comprehensive critique of socialist economy reform, Kornai explains how the system's ideological and political attributes deny the idea of "market socialism". Kornai provides examples of Hungary's economoc stabilization and conditions for its sustainable growth.

This volume is a major contribution to Hungarian economic history since the middle of the nineteenth century. In this first volume of three on the evolution of that economy, the authors focus on the beginnings of the modern capitalist economy (1848-1914), on economic nationalism (1918-1944) and on the socialist attempt at modernization (1945-1989).

Building a Trustworthy State in Post Socialist Transition considers the problems and prospects for creating trustworthy and reliable public institutions in the aftermath of the transition from socialism in Central and Eastern Europe. The volume draws on the experience of those who have lived through and studied the transition and contrasts their insights with those of generalist scholars who study government accountability and democracy. The contributions originated in the Collegium Budapest project on Honesty and Trust: Theory and Experience in the Light of the Post Socialist Transition, organized by Janos Kornai and Susan Rose Ackerman. A second volume entitled, Creating Social Trust in Post Socialist Transition, is being published simultaneously. BRUCE ACKERMAN Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science atYale University, USA GEORGY GANEV Program Director for Economic Research at the Centre for Liberal Strategies in Sofia, Bulgaria RUSSELL HARDIN Professor of Politics at New York University, USA JOEL HELLMAN Senior Adviser on Governance in the East Asia and Pacific Region at the World Bank based in Jakarta, Indonesia CYNTHIA M. HORNE Assistant Professor at the John C.Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University, USA DANIEL KAUFMANN Director of Global Governance at the World Bank Institute (WBI), Washington DC, USA IVAN KRASTEV Political Scientist and Chairman of the Board of the Centre for Liberal Strategies in Sofia, Bulgaria MARGARET LEVI Jere L. Bacharach Professor of International Studies in the Department of Political Science, University of Washington, Seattle, USA JOHN MUELLER Woody Hayes Chair of National Security Studies, Mershon Center, and is Professor of Political Science at Ohio State University, USA CLAUS OFFE Professor for Political Science at Humboldt-University, Berlin SUSAN ROSE-ACKERMAN Henry R.Luce Professor of Jurisprudence (Law and Political Science) at Yale University, USA ANDRS SAJ Professor at the Central European University (CEU), Budapest, Hungary and Global Faculty, New York University Law School, USA IRINA SLINKO Formerly Research Assistant in RECEP then Worked as an Economist at CEFIR, Moscow, Russia ALEXANDRA VACROUX Research Associate with the Center for Economic and Financial Research (CEFIR), Moscow, Russia EVGENY YAKOVLEV Economist for the Center for Economic and Financial Research (CEFIR), Moscow, Russia EKATERINA ZHURAVSKAYA Academic Director at CEFIR, Moscow, Russia

Beneficial social and economic exchange relies on a certain level of trust. But trust is a delicate matter, not least in the former socialist countries where illegitimate behaviour by governments made distrust a habit. The chapters in this volume analyze the causes and the effects of the lack of social trust in post socialist countries. The contributions originated in the Collegium Budapest project on Honesty and Trust: Theory and Experience in the Light of the Post Socialist Transition. A second volume entitled, Building a Trustworthy State in Post Socialist Transition, is being published simultaneously. GABRIEL BADESCU Associate Professor of Political Science at the Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania ILDIK BARNA Research Assistant at E/tv/s Lorand University, Hungary KAREN S. COOK Ray Lyman Wilbur Professor of Sociology and the Cognizant Dean of the Social Sciences at Stanford University, California, USA GYRGY CSEPELI Professor of Sociology at the E/tv/s University, Hungary ALEXANDRA GERBASI Ph.D candidate at Stanford University, California, USA ALENA V.LEDENEVA Reader in Russian Politics and Society, University College, London, UK ANTAL RKNY Professor of Sociology at the E/tv/s Lorand University, Hungary KATHARINA PISTOR Associate Professor of law at Columbia Law School, New York, USA VADIM RADAEV Professor of the Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia ERIC R. W. RICE Sociologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, USA MARTIN RAISER Director for Country Strategy and Analysis at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Deve lopment (EBRD), London, UK ALAN ROUSSO Senior Political Counsellor at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), London, UK FRANKLIN STEIN Political Analyst at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), London, UK MRIA SZKELYI Professor of sociology at the Institute of Sociology of E/tv/s Lorand University, Hungary ERIC M. USLANER Professor of Government at Politics at the University of Maryland, College Park, USA FEDERICO VARESE University Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Oxford, UK VADIM VOLKOV Chair of the Sociology Department of the High School of Economics, St.Petersburg Branch, Russia CHRISTOPHER WOODRUFF Associate Professor of Economics at the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific States

This major book presents an objective and penetrating economic analysis of stabilization and reform in Eastern Europe, combined with a compassionate plea for individual rights and solidarity.Janos Kornai - one of the most famous Hungarian economists of his generation - focuses on two main issues: first, the problems of stabilization and adjustment, which are painful but necessary conditions of sustainable growth and second, the reform of the 'premature welfare state' of Eastern European countries, which is disproportionately large in relation to the resources available and which was hitherto managed in a highly centralized, bureaucratic and paternalistic way.Struggle and Hope goes beyond most other books on the transition process by placing considerable emphasis on the understanding of the ethical implications and the historical roots of each problem, and also the political conditions and consequences of change. Although economic efficiency is extremely important, it is not the exclusive criterion; ethical principles of individual sovereignty and solidarity must also receive particular attention.Professor Kornai's insightful analysis will become required reading for all those concerned with the process of post-socialist transition.

This major book presents an objective and penetrating economic analysis of stabilization and reform in Eastern Europe, combined with a compassionate plea for individual rights and solidarity.Janos Kornai - one of the most famous Hungarian economists of his generation - focuses on two main issues: first, the problems of stabilization and adjustment, which are painful but necessary conditions of sustainable growth and second, the reform of the 'premature welfare state' of Eastern European countries, which is disproportionately large in relation to the resources available and which was hitherto managed in a highly centralized, bureaucratic and paternalistic way.Struggle and Hope goes beyond most other books on the transition process by placing considerable emphasis on the understanding of the ethical implications and the historical roots of each problem, and also the political conditions and consequences of change. Although economic efficiency is extremely important, it is not the exclusive criterion; ethical principles of individual sovereignty and solidarity must also receive particular attention.Professor Kornai's insightful analysis will become required reading for all those concerned with the process of post-socialist transition.

Eight essays connected by various common strands. The most important one is the community of the main subject-matter: socialism, capitalism, democracy, change of system. These four expressions cover four phenomena of great and comprehensive importance. Each piece in the book deals with these and the connections between them.One of the Leitmotifs is the “capitalism/socialism” pair of opposites. Capitalism has a history of several hundred years, while the socialist regime existed only for a few decades. But this pair of opposites was central to the history of the twentieth century. This antagonism put its stamp on political thinking, on the foreign policy and military preparedness of every country, and on some appallingly destructive armed conflicts. All these had great secondary influence on each country’s economic development and the standard of living and disposition of its inhabitants.None of the studies is confined to one country - not to Hungary or to any other. Each tries to embrace the problems common to greater units. However, the greater unit comprehended is not the same in each study. One may deal with the capitalist or socialist system in general, another will all the post-socialist countries, and a third the Central East European region. But all extend the analysis beyond the borders of one country.