In message Thu, 27 Oct 1994 02:36:57 -0700,
Trond Andresen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
> The question of how much central planning (as opposed to market
> mechanisms) you can have before the system gets inefficient, cannot be
> discussed without considering how to organize democracy, politics, the
> media.
>
> A program for this is IMO just as important as an "economic" socialist
> program.
>
>
Trond's point is absolutely crucial. In the wake of the experience of
what we politely call "actually existing socialism", it has become
fashionable (as in "swimming with the current") to declare that central
planning as such is inherently inefficient and, accordingly, that markets are
the only option (this side of utopia) for socialism. Implicit here is the
idea of an optimum size of firm--- and that the inherent contradiction in
AES arose from the attempt to control and direct everything but the
impossibility of doing so. If, however, we posit a relation in which
individual actors proceed to execute central decisions (and, where these
decisions are imperfectly or incompletely specified, interpret them in the
light of general central objectives), could we still talk about such an
inherent contradiction? To pose this question is to note that what is often
treated as a technical contradiction (the inherent problem in planning) is,
in fact, a social contradiction (the result of the particular productive
relations of AES); it further suggests that those who are predisposed to
dismiss planning as the result of the experience of AES--- but do so
without exploring the roots of that experience in the relations of
production of AES--- are rather distant from using a Marxist analysis
(whatever they may claim). I interpret Trond to be making this simple
point--- let us look at social relations rather than limit our discussion to
considering abstractly alternate methods of coordination.
cheers,
mike
PS. Among other bits exploring Hayek, etc, see Fikret Adaman and Pat Devine,
"Renewing Socialism" in Studies in Political Economy (Spring 1994) and my
"The Socialist Fetter: A Cautionary Tale" in the 1991 Socialist Register.
----------------------------
Michael A. Lebowitz
Economics Department, Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6
Office: (604) 291-4669
Home: (604) 255-0382
-------------------------------
Currently reachable at Lasqueti Island
c/o General Delivery,Lasqueti Island, BC, V0R 2J0; (604) 333-8810
