The three major themes of János Kornai's work reflected in the title of this book--planning, shortage, and transition, or transformation--figure prominently in the essays. After a philosophical introduction by Edmond Malinvaud, the book is divided into three sections: Markets and Organizations, Theory of Transition, and The Transitional Experience. János Kornai is one of the world's leading experts on the economics of socialism and transition. An early advocate of reform in Hungary, he has written penetrating analyses of centrally planned economies and their transformation to market-oriented systems. This volume is being published in celebration of Kornai's seventieth birthday.
