This study examines the relative successes and failures of reform programs in Poland and Czechoslovakia, as well as the causes of these successes and failures. It provides a synthesized and comparative study of efforts to achieve systemic economic transformation. The work begins with the identification of background forces in these two countries--cultural, social, political, and economic--analyzing their impact on micro-responsiveness to reform policies. Then, within the framework of these forces, the author traces the causes of the two economies' reform failures during and since the Communist era. The central purpose of the work is to provide objective lessons for economies attempting systemic transformations or implementing development policies.This work will be of interest to scholars and policymakers in development economics and comparative economic systems and policies.

IntroductionBackground Forces: Poland and CzechoslovakiaThe Two Economies: 1945-1989Economic Performance: 1945-1989Reform Experiences: 1945-1989Current reforms: Legal Foundations and Pricing PolicyFiscal ReformCurrency, Banking, Monetary ReformsReforming Foreign Investment PolicyReforming Foreign Trade PoliciesProperty Restitution and Ownership TransformationAnti-Monopoly and Employment PoliciesIndustrial ResponsesA Theoretical Frame for Lessons in Systemic TransformationConclusions and RecommendationsChronology of Significant EventsIntervieweesReferencesIndex