Hungarian
`This is truly a remarkable achievement. Kornai's book can be read
with much profit by citizens of both east and west, by economists
and by whoever is interested in politics, by specialists in the
affairs of communist-run countries and by student beginners. It is
well organised, shows a mastery of the material and is a model of
clarity of exposition ... What he does do is to describe with
consummate skill the essential features of the system as it was,
and
why attempts to reform it have been so conspicuously unsuccessful.
For this he deserves our gratitude and a large readership'
Alec Nove, New Statesman & Society
`This is the most comprehensive analysis of socialist economics
ever written. It is lucid and well-structured, rendering it an
ideal textbook for a broad range of students on the socialist
economic system. This might be the definitive work on socialist
economics. The greatest student of socialist economics has produced
his grand oeuvre.'
Ander Aslund, Director, Stockholm Institute of Soviet and East
European Economics
`Janos Kornai has long been the world's most perceptive analyst and
critic of communism. The momentous changes of the last few years
have generated plenty of heat. This book, destined to become a
classic, sheds great light on communism - why it endured, why it
eventually failed, and how it should and will evolve.'
Lawrence H Summers, World Bank
`Janos Kornai's analysis of the political economy of socialism is
the right book at the right time by the right author ... a
scholarly, realistic, insightful analysis of both the early
successes and the gradual breakdown of socialist systems.'
Stanley Fischer, Professor of Economics, MIT
`Written by a leading scholar on comparative economic systems, the
book is a masterly contribution.'
Padma Desai, Professor of Economics, Columbia
`Hungarian economist Janos Kornai gives a detailed but untechnical
overview of socialist economies.'
Morning Star
'His book deserves to be read ... because of the sheer scholarship
which has gone into producing it, and because of the insight into
Stalinism and its legacy which it undoubtedly provides.'
Ian Kearns, University of Sheffield, International Affairs, April
1993
`Janos Kornai's The Socialist System: The Political Economy of
Communism is definitely one of the best (if not the best) books
ever written by such "synthesizers". It is the first comprehensive
and systematic exposition of the political economy of state
socialism. The author offers an intricate, nuanced, logical, and
highly readable panorama of not just the Communist economy but the
whole socioeconomic, political-cultural formation,
known as state socialism.'
Studies in Comparative International Development
`presents a detailed and exhaustive description of the general
characteristics of the classical system, defined as the stalinist
or maoist phase, and of the reform system that followed it ... any
serious students specialising in comparative economic systems
surely ought to become acquainted with the book'
Europe-Asia Studies
`This book will appeal to a wide audience. It combines a coherent
political model with a detailed economic critique. It also shows
that socialist economics were not as homogenous as traditionally
assumed by commentators. The book also provides valuable insights
into what new economic forms are likely to replace the erstwhile
socialist economies.'
Political Studies
`Great merit ... Kornai has been in his career deeply involved in
the workings of the system he describes, so is an outstanding
expert on it and sheds light on many of its aspects people who have
not lived in communist societies cannot easily understand ... The
book is a great achievement ... A comprehensive content,
references, authors and subject indexes makes the book a very
convenient research tool.'
Kyklos
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