"Command economy"

[bezdomni]

Who the fuck coined this extremely annoying word and why do bourgeois economists use it as a colloquial for socialism?

[Tower of Bebel]

My book of modern history mentions this word. It says that the planned economy during the five year plans were more like a command economy because the party planned the economy, and not the people. The party commanded the people, the factories, the farmers to reach certain quotas.

[Leo]

`Command Economy` is a rather meaningless term because in decadent capitalism all economies are commanded by the bourgeisie.

It is merely an insignificant attempt by `democratic` bourgeois economists to condemn Stalinist bourgeois economy.

[Demogorgon]

Well the phrase Commad Economy if used properly wouldn't be a problem. But the way it is used as an alternative word for socialism is prepoterous. I have heard people say that the way the US Government backs the corporations is Socialistic due tot he belief that Socialism is simply Government involvement in the economy.

[Hegemonicretribution]

Just as with "free market economy" "capitalism" "communism" "socialism" etc.. it is important to establish the idea communicated rather than having a fit about the word; trust me between different disciplines and schools of thought, there cannot be an objective use of these terms anymore...

Anyway, command economies are generally those that are overtly state controlled as opposed to being controlled by free enterprise. There are not really any economies that are solely "command economies" just as there are no completely "free economies."

Economists use it in place of socialism (at least I assume) to "try and maintain a neutral perspective." That is by using a word that escapes social and political connotations (although in practice the opposite is often true). "Command Economy" refers not to a country, population or system of government, but specifically to resource allocation.

That said it is not quite the swear word it once was, economists are increasingly realising (or admitting) that real free markets are not necessarily the shit. The Washington consensus was a load of shit and was outstripped by countries practicing a more mixed or command economy...(This of course refers to areas of Africa and South America that underwent a period of rapid market liberalisation during the 90s) indeed the growth rates generated were poor even for struggling and under-developed nations.

Command economy is akin to the political term "left" or "right"...useless and overused.