The first edition of this book appeared in 1979. It reflected the world of Brezhnev and Mao. It attempted to sum up what was known at that time. It was widely used throughout the world. It was reprinted several times and there were translations into Dutch, Portuguese (in Brazil), Italian, Japanese, Spanish (in Mexico) and Chinese. The second edition appeared in 1989 and reflected the era of economic reform. This third edition appears at a time when socialist planning has become a historical phenomenon, about which we know much more, and about which we can draw better-informed conclusions. I have attempted to sum up the relevant literature of which I am aware, and provide a broad overview of the subject. For reasons of space it has not been possible to provide an extensive discussion of a number of important issues, such as planning education, medical care, urban development and the environment. However, these subjects are mentioned in the text, and some information about them is provided. Each chapter concludes with a list of suggestions for further reading which is intended as a guide for those who wish to delve deeper into the subject of that chapter. This new edition reflects a lifetime of thinking and writing about the topic. I hope it will be useful for a wide circle of readers.

I am grateful for helpful comments on one or more draft chapters from Vladimir Kontorovich, Mark Harrison, Max Spoor, Grigory Khanin, Peter Nolan, Julian Cooper, Donald Filtzer, Steven Rosefielde, Lennart Samuelson, David Stone, David Glantz, Joshua Andy, Erik van Ree and Patricia Ellman. I alone am responsible for any errors remaining. I am also very grateful to Alexei Ionov for research assistance, to Ceyla Tokbay for secretarial help, and to the University of Amsterdam for providing me with the facilities to write the book.