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Transitional economy of Russia. Varieties of economies in transition Types of economies in transition

26.12.2021

The concept and essence of a transitional economy

Definition 1

An economy in transition is a period when the economic system in a country is changing.

So, for example, the most recent such transition of the economy in our country was the time of the transition to market relations, that is, the end of the 20th century. Today the market economy and market relations dominate in Russia. More clearly, the main features of the transition economy are presented in the figure:

Figure 1. Features of an economy in transition. Author24 - online exchange of student papers

The main directions of changes to the transition to a new economy:

  1. All economic and social relations within the state are changing, that is, the entire economic system is undergoing global changes in its basis and structure;
  2. The principles, as well as methods, methods of economic management in the country are completely subject to change. The production process is organized in a different way, the conditions of economic interactions change, the distribution of resources begins to occur in other directions;
  3. The country's legislation is changing, due to global changes in the economic structure and the system as a whole, somewhere amendments are made to laws, and some legislative documents are subject to complete revision.

The essence of the transition economy is also shown in the figure:

Features of the economy in transition

A transitional economy, that is, the transition to another system, implies a number of features that are characteristic of all countries and their economies:

  • Scientists all over the world recognize the main feature of the transition economy as the fact that in this case the transition to a completely different type of economic system is realized, but not as a way of regulating this system;
  • Another feature is that the new system of the transitional economy also combines the elements of the old system, thus a smooth transition is obtained, and not an abrupt one; also, most of the innovations in the transitional economy are based on old methods and experience;
  • The instability of the new economic system, which implies chaos, as well as crisis processes during the period of the transition itself, that is, when the new system has not yet fully entered into its rights, and the old system has not completely lost its power. This period is considered not the best for the country, since most often because of this, many sectors of the economy suffer: trade, manufacturing, agriculture, etc. To establish a new economic system, as a rule, it takes a long time, usually from one to several years;
  • Significant changes in the production area. Since the economy is to a large extent supported and dependent on the production processes in the country, on their development and quality, it is this sector that undergoes great changes, namely, the distribution function starts to work differently, consumer groups change, innovations with suppliers of raw materials, an exchange is organized for another, etc .;
  • In connection with the transition to a new economic system, the very structure of the economy is changing. The sector of the country's economy, where the very form of ownership is considered, depending on the means of production, is called the way of the economy. The economic structure implements its own type of all economic relations. So, the following structures in the economy are known: municipal, private property (small-scale production), capitalist, as well as state, etc .;
  • Long transition from one system to another. If the transition is carried out by the old system into a completely new one, dissimilar to it, then this process may last not several years, but several decades in order to restructure all processes (trade, tax, legislative, social, etc.).

Typically, the time during which the transition occurs is called the transition economy.

Types of economies in transition

In a transitional economy, there are several types of it:

  • The first type of economy in transition is called natural, or in some economic documents, natural - evolutionary. The very name of the type of economy suggests that it is formed by itself under the influence of certain factors. Such factors can be the global development of scientific and technical progress (leaps in the field of information, innovative technologies), social and cultural development of society (improving the quality of knowledge, skills, exchange of experience, etc.), improving the legislative framework, etc. ... The natural type of transitional economy is going quite calmly, without unnecessary problems for the country, since the country is preparing for it, as if realizing in advance that it will smoothly move from one economic system to another;
  • Another type of economy in transition is the reform one. It assumes a scenario preplanned by the government, based on the transition from one system to another. Reforming society, the social environment, including the country's economy, begins overnight, that is, everything changes in one day. Such a transitional economy is difficult to adapt in society, as it implies many problems that, although they were predetermined, but their resolution in practice requires a lot of effort and time. It should be noted that the state prepares for this type of transitional economy in several years, they also try to solve problems with progressive methods and methods, and this type should be chosen only if the society has a highly developed structure and capabilities.

Remark 1

These types of economies determine the further development of the economic system that the state has chosen for itself. Some countries are subject to natural processes of evolution, while others, on the contrary, use reformatory ways.

Each country, depending on its resources and capabilities, chooses a path for itself, but in the era of high technologies it is preferable to use everything, the path of reforms, it is only necessary to prepare in advance for this, create programs and systematize the development of economic relations.

Thus, the transition economy is the time of transition from one economic system to another. It has a number of features, taking into account which, you can make this transition less painful. There are also two types of economies in transition, it is preferable for modern times to use the reform path.

Every economic system goes through the stages of formation and development, maturity and decline, when the formation of a new system takes place. Since the late 1980s, the socialist countries have marked a transition to a radical transformation of the relations inherent in the previous type of economy. The economic system that took shape in the USSR and in other socialist countries was distinguished by a number of stable features from all previous and parallel systems in the world.

Firstly, this system developed on the basis of social ownership of the means of production, and this was the source of its fundamental differences from capitalism.

Secondly, the economic life was oriented towards the principles of the "unified factory" operation, and a planning-directive approach was established in the management. The state sought to directly control the life of labor collectives, determined their functional orientation, communicated to them long-term and current plans for all major indicators. The enterprise was virtually deprived of the ability to make decisions on the introduction of farms.

Thirdly, a system of developed socialist guarantees at the expense of the state has been formed. Nationalization distorted the appropriation process. The overwhelming part of the surplus product was concentrated in the hands of the state with its subsequent redistribution outside the self-supporting interests of the main links of the economy. A kind of dependency has become customary, in which, due to highly profitable industries, the livelihoods of poorly working collectives were ensured.

The economic system based on public ownership made it possible to concentrate the material and human resources of society in the most important areas and provide powerful breakthroughs in decisive areas of economic activity. Historically, however, this system was doomed to failure. The normal functioning of the increasingly complex economy came into conflict with centralized directive management. The USSR was unable to fully master the achievements of the scientific and technological revolution in its second part, and the country's economy entered the stage of extinction. It became necessary to change property relations as the basis of the entire system of economic relations. Thus, the fiasco of the Soviet command-administrative system of economic management was the objective reason for the need to transform the newly emerged sovereign states into market economies.

The market system assumes:

variety of forms of ownership;

personal initiative and freedom of entrepreneurship;

developed competition;

availability of a legal framework adequate to a market economy;

the presence of developed markets for the main factors of production or prerequisites for them;

availability of a cadre of entrepreneurs and experience of interaction of government agencies with risk;

the presence of economic and legislative obstacles on the path of the monopolies striving for undivided domination.

A transitional economy characterizes, as it were, an "intermediate" state of society, when the former system of socio-economic relations and institutions is destroyed and reformed, and a new one is just being formed. Changes taking place in a transitional economy are mainly changes in development, not functioning, as is typical for the existing system. Today there is no exact definition of a transitional economy, however, based on its main features, we can say that a transitional economy is called a type of economic system in which the mechanism of management is being transformed from administrative-command principles to market ones.

The transition economy is characterized by the following features:

First, the transitional economy is characterized by volatility, instability, which are "irrevocable" in nature. They do not just temporarily disrupt the stability of the system so that then it returns to an equilibrium state, but weaken it, it gradually gives way to another economic system. This instability, instability of the state of the transitional economy determines, on the one hand, a special dynamism of its development and the corresponding nature of changes - irreversibility, non-repetition, and on the other hand, an increase in the uncertainty of the results of the development of a transitional economy, options for the formation of a new system.

Secondly, the transitional economy, which is a kind of mixture of the old and the new, is characterized by the existence of special transitional economic forms.

Third, the transitional economy is characterized by a special character of contradictions. These are the contradictions of the new and the old, the contradictions of the various strata of society that stand behind one or another subject of relations. Changes in the transitional economy ultimately lead to a change in the economic system, and in socio-political terms, transitional epochs are often accompanied by a sharp exacerbation of contradictions, leading to socio-political upheavals.

Fourth, a characteristic feature of the transitional economy is its historicity, which is due to the peculiarities of the economic development of individual countries. The problems faced by the Eastern European countries and the newly independent states that were previously part of the USSR are more complicated than, for example, the problems of Latin American countries, where some market institutions already existed, and the number of state-owned enterprises subject to privatization was in the hundreds, not thousands. In addition, the specific levels of development of each country determine the specifics of the course of transition processes. Regularities common for a transitional economy receive different forms of manifestation in different conditions. All this must be taken into account when developing programs for reforming the economic system in the transition period.

The process of transformation of the economic system of the state from the command-administrative mechanism of management to the market one is usually called transitional.

The transition period is a special period in the evolution of the economy, when one system leaves the historical arena, and another, new, is simultaneously born and established. Therefore, the development of a transitional economy has a special character, significantly different from the usual, normal economic development. Indeed, in a transitional economy, old economic forms and relations are still functioning and have been functioning for quite a long time, with the simultaneous emergence and establishment of new economic forms and relations. In addition, neither one nor the other forms and connections do not work in full force, since some are undermined and gradually decline, while others are born and gradually become established. Moreover, the situation is getting worse, because the ratio between the new and the old is constantly changing. This applies to any economy in transition.

The transition period from a command to a market economic system is characterized by great distinctiveness. Today's developed countries were moving from a traditional, agrarian economy to a market one, and this transition was accompanied by an industrial revolution, the emergence of industry, and, above all, the production of means of production, which became the material basis for the transformation of production and society as a whole.

The transition period is a transition from a planned economy, which was based on peculiar foundations, and therefore it has its own features and patterns. Thus, the formation of the industrial basis of capitalist society led to intensive processes of socialization of production and labor, an increase in the scale of private property, the development of such forms of ownership as joint-stock, monopoly and state ownership. The administrative-command system was based on the absolute domination of state property, and one of the main tasks of the transition period is denationalization and privatization of state property. Instead of the state, various forms of ownership (collective, private, cooperative, state, etc.) should be established.In the transition to a market economy, an objective regularity is the restructuring of the organizational and economic structure of the economy through its demonopolization, deconcentration of production and decentralization of management, the widespread development of small and medium-sized businesses.

The transformation of property relations and the organizational and economic structure of the economy means the formation of new production relations. For the transition to a market economy, it is necessary to rebuild the production and technological structure of the economy, but this is not a simple change in the ratio of its various industries and spheres, but technical re-equipment, a transition to a qualitatively new level of productive forces. When one type of economic relations changes to a fundamentally different one, the administrative-command type of management is forcibly destroyed, and the problem of producers' survival, which depends on the ability to manage processes, inevitably comes to the fore.

Specificity of socio-economic processes that began in the late 1990s. and occurring at the present time, is that the principles of functioning of all subsystems of the economic formation of society are radically changing: public administration (the role of the state in the economy), the social sphere, property rights, the structure of the economy (its individual industries, complexes), since it is supposed to change the actual economic system.

The economic system is a combination of the public and private sectors of the economy. The economic basis of its transformation is the evolutionary development of property relations and, accordingly, types of management, which manifests itself as an increase in the variety of forms and directions of development. Inevitably, the economic functions of the state become more complex, effective, combine economic and social aspects, thereby creating a favorable environment for the development of a modern market economy, which has powerful legal protection.

So, the transition process is characterized by gradualness, the impossibility of quickly replacing existing forms with new ones, and even more so - the impossibility of such an approach, according to which you must first destroy everything old and then create a new one. In other words, under the conditions of a transitional period, old forms persist for a rather long time, and at the same time, new forms and relations grow. This means that in the gradualness of changes in the economy, continuity and inheritance in socio-economic development are realized.

The first type of economy in transition in the XX century. was the economy of the transition from capitalism to socialism in connection with the Great October Socialist Revolution of 1917, which ended in the 30s.

The main features of the transitional economy from capitalism to socialism:

- the revolutionary replacement of capitalist production relations with socialist ones;

- the multi-structure of the economy with a gradual transition to one structure based on the social type of property;

- the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat as a weapon to suppress resistance to the ideas of socialism;

- the desire to shorten the transition period.

The tasks of the transition period were:

- the establishment of the domination of public property in two forms: state and collective-farm cooperative;

- transition to the distribution of the social product according to labor;

- carrying out industrialization and collectivization;

- creation of the material and technical base (MTB) of socialism;

- limiting the scope of the market mechanism and the transition to a planned economy.

The second type of economy in transition(if we stand on the positions of a technocratic approach to the classification of economic systems) we can call the transition to a new Keynesian type of economic regulation in Western countries in the middle of the 20th century, which as a result led to the emergence of a post-industrial type of economic system.

During this transition period, fundamental changes took place.
in the ways of coordinating economic activity, namely, the rejection of Smith's idea of ​​the "invisible hand" that regulates the economy, and the recognition of Keynes's idea of ​​the need for state regulation of the economy.

Countries began to develop a special fiscal, monetary policy, that is, a system of measures to regulate the behavior of economic entities. All this ensured the stable development of Western countries for a long time, until the 70s. XX century

The third type of economy in transition- the transition of the developing countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America to a new independent economy after liberation from colonial dependence in the middle of the XX century.

The main tasks of the transition period in these countries:

1) elimination of deformations in the economy: change in the structure of the national economy; creating a basis for independence;

2) transition to a new economic system - a mixed economy.

The fourth type of transition economy- the transition from an administrative-command economy to a market one.

The main features of the transition period are:

- the transition to a multi-structured economy dominated by private ownership - the basis of market relations;

- combination of elements of the old and new economic systems;

- instability, state of imbalance (crisis phenomena in production, trade, finance, etc.);



- qualitative changes in industrial relations: replacement of administrative methods of management with market ones;

- the transition is carried out in the conditions of the destruction of the USSR - a single powerful state, when the existing economic ties were severed;

- the transition is carried out in the conditions of the formation of new international relations.

The need for a transition to a market economy due to its effectiveness. Historical experience has shown that the most effective type of economic system, providing the highest living standard of the population, is a market economy based on private property and personal interest, where transaction costs are lower, and where “social benefits” arise, that is, benefits for the consumer. and the producer, provided that the goods are sold at an equilibrium (competitive) price.

The purpose and objectives of the transition period to a market economy

the main goal transition period - the transition to a new economic system - a mixed market economy.

To do this, it is necessary to solve the following tasks:

1. By reforming property relations, create a new basis characteristic of a market economy.

2. To carry out the transition from a planned economic system to a market one. Form market relations, create market infrastructure.

3. To overcome the crisis in the economy.

4. Create a developed system of social protection of the population.

These tasks are solved by different ways.

First task- the reform of property relations is carried out by denationalization and privatization, the essence and methods of implementation of which are discussed in the topic "Socio-economic essence of property relations."

Second task- the formation of market relations is solved in three ways: 1) by liberalizing the economy; 2) structural transformations of the economy; 3) institutional transformations.

Liberalization of the economy- this is a system of measures by which state restrictions on the entrepreneurial activity of economic entities are eliminated in such processes as: 1) price movements (they should be formed under the influence of supply and demand, that is, set by the market, not the state); 2) movement of goods and services, especially resources; 3) taxation, quotas, licensing and
etc .; 4) state monopoly on economic activities.

Structural transformation, as a way to solve the second problem is to change the structure of the national economy: the elimination of outdated industries and industries, the creation of new ones, taking into account the available resources, the transition to new technologies, etc. All this can be done with the help of the state (government), which is able to develop and to implement industrial policy, that is, a system of measures for rapid economic growth.

Institutional transformation- this is the process of the emergence, development and strengthening of market rules for the economic behavior of economic entities, the creation of market organizations and institutions and their replacement of old, command-administrative ones. This is the creation of conditions for the operation of a market system, that is, the creation of a market infrastructure.

Market institutions- these are market rules, laws and institutions that develop these rules, monitor their implementation. Without control, market institutions collapse and criminal structures emerge.

During the transition period, it is necessary to create new laws on property, taxes, prices, entrepreneurship, competition, banks, stock exchanges, and on a new system of state regulation of the economy. It is necessary to create markets for consumer goods, capital, land, labor, money, currency.

Market relations will be created when all subjects of the economy will have market behavior, that is, they will have economic freedom, economic isolation, and a competitive environment will dominate the economy.

The third task- overcoming the crisis phenomena, is solved by developing an effective economic policy (budget and tax, monetary, social).

In solving this problem, great difficulties arise. First of all, it is not clear by what methods to influence the economy. Administrative-command ones must be abandoned, but market relations are not yet effective, since market relations have not yet been created. Such an intermediate state, especially if it lasts a long time, entails the appearance of crisis phenomena. It is necessary to create market relations as soon as possible and give them a dominant character.

The fourth task- the creation of a developed system of social protection, due to the need to protect the population from the severe consequences of economic reform. At the same time, it is necessary to develop a system of measures with targeted social support to the needy strata of the population: payment of pensions, benefits, salaries on time, subsidies for utility bills, etc.

The social policy of the state includes a system of measures aimed at raising the standard of living and improving the quality of life of the population.

As an independent work, students will prepare essays-reports on how to solve the main tasks of the transition period in the Republic of Belarus.

2. Ways of transition to a market economy:
evolutionary and "shock therapy"

There are two ways of transition to a market economy: evolutionary and "shock therapy".

Evolutionary path involves the implementation of slow, consistent reforms by the state, which plays a major role in the formation of market relations. The gradual transformation of socio-economic relations makes it possible to avoid a sharp decline in the standard of living of the population.

Main features evolutionary path:

- the state gradually, on the basis of long-term reforms, forms market relations;

- market relations first cover the sphere of production
and sales of consumer goods, including agricultural products, and only then extend to investment sectors (production of means of production);

- price liberalization is carried out gradually and at subsequent stages of economic reform, while state control over prices in industries whose products are included in the production of any goods (energy, transport) is retained, so that inflation does not increase;

- a tough financial and monetary policy is being pursued in order to curb inflation and prevent violations of the law of monetary circulation;

- the market infrastructure is being actively formed, private entrepreneurship is encouraged, especially small and medium-sized businesses in manufacturing and services.

An example of such a transition path is China, Hungary, the Republic of Belarus, Russia.

Shock therapy- this is a way of transition to a market economy, which involves the simultaneous liberalization of prices, a sharp reduction in government spending and the formation of a deficit-free budget.

This approach is based on the idea of ​​monetarism about the ability of the market economy to self-regulation, which determines the minimum role of the state in the transition period. The main task of the state during this period is to maintain the stability of the financial system, monetary circulation, and prevent inflation. However, supporters of shock therapy believe that there are many obstacles on the way to market relations, and one of the main ones is the position of the apparatus of officials who are interested in maintaining their social status, that is, they always want to manage and therefore impede the development of market relations in which their leadership the role is minimized, since the economy itself develops.

Key features of shock therapy:

- one-stage price liberalization, that is, the state ceases to regulate prices for all goods, and they are sold freely at competitive prices. This measure leads to the elimination of the commodity deficit and launches the market mechanism;

- Accelerated privatization of state property, including the transition to private ownership of land, which creates the basis for market relations;

- the elimination of central planning and the inclusion of economic methods for regulating the economy with the help of instruments of fiscal and monetary policy;

- liberalization of foreign economic activity, creation of an open economy.

When using the method of shock therapy, a number of negative (negative) consequences arise: a rapid rise in prices, since a deficit for many goods is inherited; massive bankruptcies of enterprises and an increase in unemployment; falling living standards of a significant part of the population, social differentiation; the most profitable is not the sphere of production, but the redistributive activity in the financial sphere, where the flow of real money rushes.

Shock therapy was most widely used in Poland and in other countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

3. Problems of the economy in transition in the Republic of Belarus

At present, the republic's economy is at the stage of transition to a mixed market economy. The goal is to create socially oriented market economy, that is, a type of economic system that involves the active participation of the state in maintaining a balance between market efficiency and social justice.

The main features such economic models are:

- the dominance of constitutional guarantees of personal rights and freedoms of citizens;

- freedom of entrepreneurship, choice of profession and place of work;

- equality of all forms of property, guarantees of its inviolability and use in the interests of the individual and society;

- ensuring the relationship between the welfare of the employee and the results of his work;

- social protection of the disabled and other socially vulnerable groups of the population.

The need for a social orientation of the economy is due to the social nature of economic relations, i.e., the fact that economic processes are based not only on personal interests, but also on public interests (of all members of society). Therefore, any economic reforms entail corresponding social transformations. These transformations cannot be limited to social security and social protection of low-income groups of the population. A more important element of social policy is the social aspect of privatization, financial, tax, investment, pricing and other economic policies, that is, creating conditions under which the welfare of the population will be achieved not so much by the redistribution of benefits as by the active activity of its population. Only in this case can we talk about the social orientation of the economy.

In world practice, several models of the market economy have developed, which in their own way solve social problems.

American model a market economy provides for a liberal social policy aimed at reducing government interference in solving individual problems of citizens, at providing them with the greatest possible economic freedom. The task of the state is to create conditions for citizens to independently solve their social problems, for which entrepreneurship is actively encouraged and the enrichment of the most active part of the population. Social equilibrium is ensured through the redistribution of part of the national income.

The features of the American market model include the countercyclical and anti-inflationary nature of government intervention in the economy. The regulation of the economy is carried out through the system of state licensing of the production of certain goods, restricting the export of a number of goods to other countries, controlling money circulation using a bank loan, regulating the labor market by determining the minimum wage, and creating a front for public works.

Swedish model market economy is characterized by a different approach to solving social problems. The model is based on market relations within the framework of three forms of ownership (private, state and cooperative) in combination with the active use of state regulation. The main object of regulation is labor relations at the national level (for example, setting tariff rates), as well as at the level of state-owned enterprises, which reproduce the bulk of the country's labor force. Therefore, Sweden has the highest employment rate among the industrialized countries.

The heart of the Swedish system is social policy, which is based on three basic principles: equality, that is, ensuring equal opportunities to achieve prosperity; provision of social guarantees to the population in different situations; achieving full employment of the working-age population. Reduction of property irregularities
equality is achieved through the redistribution of national income in favor of the less well-to-do strata of the population.

For the successful implementation of social policy, the state has one of the highest levels of taxation, which is more than 50% of GNP (in other countries it ranges from 30 to 40%).

German model a market economy is also called a social market economy, which is characterized by a significant share of state property, strong positions of private entrepreneurship and the market mechanism in the structure of the economy.

Legislation is aimed at strict observance of contractual obligations, production of high-quality products, protection of competition, and environmental protection.

The state plays a special role in solving social problems (elimination of unemployment, provision of social insurance), in the production of common goods (environmental protection, road construction, etc.).

A feature of the German model is the regulation of the economy through predominantly monetary policy, rather than fiscal policy, which is associated with the traditionally higher organization of financial capital in Germany compared to the United States. The impact on the price level, the structure of supply and demand is carried out not through the tax system (the American model), but through maintaining the optimal combination between the amount of loan capital and capital employed in industry, and the associated interest rate.

Income and employment policy occupies a special place in the German model. The state encourages the growth of producers' incomes.

Japanese model market economy is characterized by a shift in social functions from the state towards firms and organizations.

In Japan, firms not only give jobs to households, but also take on the functions of providing workers with housing, kindergartens, take care of the training and education of the younger generation, retraining and advanced training of the adult population.

Central to the Japanese model is the firm's lifelong employment system. The essence of the system lies in the fact that the company maintains close ties with higher and secondary educational institutions, providing students with industrial practice, during which it is found out to which position and in which department the trainee will be enrolled after graduation. Every 3-5 years the employee moves up the career ladder and at 55 for women and 60 for men retires.

The life-long employment system covers 25 to 35% of employees, the rest are employed for a fixed period. They leave without any conditions due to which the company flexibly adapts to the market.

Chinese model- the model of socially oriented market socialism, typical for socialist countries that are reforming their economies towards the widespread use of market relations.

Countries using this model actively cooperate with developed and developing countries, especially in the investment field.
On the one hand, they contribute to the development of individual, intellectual, entrepreneurial abilities of the population, and on the other hand, they create equal opportunities for everyone to receive education, medical care, access to culture and advanced civilization.

The main idea behind China's economic reform is to promote market relations where possible and maintain government control where necessary. In the mid-80s. XX century in China, all restrictions were lifted on self-employment, on the creation of private enterprises in the production of consumer goods, in trade and in the agricultural sector, where 80% of the population is concentrated. Therefore, first of all, agrarian transformations were carried out widely. The land remained in state ownership, but the collective farms were disbanded,
and the land was leased to the peasants for a period of 30 years (then the term was extended for another 30 years). It was allowed to sublease (lease land to others), and the rent was allowed to pay in kind (produced by products). The reform went on so successfully that in 5 years
the deficit of goods was eliminated in the country. A successful solution was the creation of free economic zones, where foreign investment rushed. Heavy industry remains state-owned, where gradual reforms are carried out, for example, these enterprises are allowed to issue and sell shares. State-owned enterprises are financed from the state budget. They are often uncompetitive. Ultimately they will be transformed, but the crisis cannot be allowed yet
and mass unemployment.

Thus, a two-sector model of the economy has formed in China: the private and public sectors. The state plans and regulates monetary relations, controls prices, and implements social policy.

Consideration of some models of a market economy shows that there is no single generally accepted model of a socially oriented market economy. Each country proceeds from its own specifics.

As for the choice Republic of Belarus the model of a socially oriented market economy, as promising, it should be noted that due to the economic and political specifics of the republic, the mentality of its people, none of the models considered can be fully used. The republic needs its own model of a market economy. (Of course, taking into account foreign experience).

First, the problem of creating a socially oriented economy cannot be reduced to a simple provision of the maximum number of the country's inhabitants with means of subsistence, to the redistribution of income. This is too expensive a business, since high taxes have to be introduced in order to collect large amounts of money and redistribute it in favor of the poor.

Secondly, a socially oriented economy is an economy where conditions have been created for the growth of the well-being of everyone as a result of labor activity, as a result of entrepreneurship.

Thirdly, while pursuing a social policy, it is necessary to take into account the mentality of the people, the dependent sentiments inherited from the past, and the hope for help from the state. People do not yet have incentives to fight for existence. Not everyone can take advantage of the opportunity for self-realization and self-sufficiency. If this is not taken into account, then there will be a stratification of society into very rich and very poor, which can lead, in turn, to a split in society.

Fourth, the social protection system should not be limited to supporting the poor. It should also include the protection of persons involved in social production and, above all, people who are employed. This is done through the legislative regulation of labor (length of the working day, vacations, labor protection, etc.) and its payment (setting the minimum wage, etc.),
as well as through defining the rights of employees when hiring and firing.

Fifth, a socially oriented market economy is an economy capable of efficiently functioning and ensuring the growth of production and the development of society. At the same time, the creation of this model requires a high level of economic development as a prerequisite.

Thus, in order for the country to have a highly efficient economy, it is necessary to ensure the predominance of market relations, for which it is necessary to solve the main tasks of the transition period: to reform property relations (denationalization and privatization); create market relations, including market infrastructure; overcome the crisis in the economy and create a system of social protection.

The process of transformation of the former state-socialist economy into a market one will depend on the nature of the planned transformations.

One of the most important tasks in the Republic of Belarus is to regulate the processes of denationalization and privatization.... In the near future, the state privatization program in Belarus provides for: completion of the privatization of small enterprises; intensification of the process of denationalization of large enterprises; introduction of the institution of bankruptcy; sale of debtor enterprises and liquidation of certain hopelessly ineffective enterprises; creating conditions for more active participation of foreign investors and capital.

To create market relations in the Republic of Belarus a whole package of "market" laws was adopted, creating a legal basis for the formation of a market economy. These are laws: "On Property", "On Entrepreneurship", "On Denationalization and Privatization", "On Employment", "On Labor", "On Protection of Consumer Rights", "On Social Protection of the Population", "On Currency Regulation", "On a single tax from an entrepreneur" and others. Further legislative work and work on the development of mechanisms for the implementation of laws are to be done.

Overcoming crisis phenomena(decline in production, unemployment, inflation) is carried out not only with the help of tough monetary and fiscal policy, but also through structural restructuring of the economy based on high science-intensive and resource-saving technologies. It is envisaged at the first stage to direct resources to industries with a short reproduction cycle and turnover, that is, with a quick return on investment. At the second stage, after stabilization is achieved (inflation is suppressed, the ruble is strengthened, etc.) and a mechanism is created for converting savings (savings) into investments, high-tech industries will be objects of technical re-equipment.

The Republic of Belarus attaches particular importance to regulation of social relations... The state is implementing a program for social protection of the population. Incomes are regulated in order to prevent a significant gap in the standard of living of various strata and to prevent social tension in society. The minimum wage is constantly increasing, which in the long term should be equal to the subsistence minimum. The pension system also needs improvement.

What did you manage to do in the Republic of Belarus during the transition period?

The foundation of a sovereign state has been laid, the necessary state institutions have been formed.

The principles of a strong social policy of the state were established.

We managed to make significant progress in ensuring the rule of law and law and order, and the formation of civil society.

A structural restructuring of the economy is planned in order to switch to resource-saving technologies. The priorities of economic development have been identified:

- increasing the export of goods and services;

- development of the agro-industrial complex;

- development of housing construction;

- activation of innovation and investment activities;

- formation of an effective health care system.

Today, in 2003, the following tasks have been set in the republic:

- to increase the competitiveness of the economy, that is, to produce products according to world standards, for which to increase the economic, scientific and technical potential, to raise the educational and qualification level of workers;

- to ensure the economic security of the country, that is, to prevent dependence on other countries;

- to achieve social stability, a favorable demographic situation, and ecology;

- maintain sufficient defensive potential and high political positions in the world;

- to ensure the development of democracy, ensuring freedom of entrepreneurship.

The term "transitional economy" was first introduced into literature by Marx and Engels in the middle of the 19th century and characterized the transformation from capitalism to socialism. The term used today belongs to modern history and characterizes the economic state of the transformation from a command-administrative system to a market system. The problems of a transitional economy, otherwise a transformational economy, is studied by the science of transitology. The very term "transitology" was proposed in 1992 by M. Baravois.

In general, a transformational (transitional) economy is a set of social economic relations that have arisen in the environment of the evolutionary historical process of transition from the old to the new social system.

The transition period is a period of time during which society carries out fundamental economic, political and social transformations, and the country's economy passes into a new, qualitatively different state in connection with the cardinal reforms of the economic system.

The transition period can be caused by objective and subjective reasons. Objective reasons should include the evolutionary development of the economy and society, scientific progress, historical movement, inconsistency with other systems (environment, etc.), which create natural contradictions that require ideological and material reorganization of the surrounding system. Subjective the reasons are political, economic interference of the state, large private companies, trade unions, churches or other forces in the development of society. This interference may not correspond to the natural course of events and be accompanied by revolutions and wars. Obviously, only objective reasons can justify the existence of a transition period.

By specialization causes of transition period can be:

  • - social - an increase in the gap between the incomes of the population, a drop in the general level of well-being, a decrease in the life expectancy of the population, a decline in morality, an increase in crime, an increase in mortality, a decrease in the birth rate, etc .;
  • - economic - the contradictions of internal and external economic relations, which reduce the effectiveness of the latter, that is, leading in the end to a fall in welfare and giving rise to social problems;
  • - technological - the moral and material deterioration of the technical support of the socio-economic system, the aging of technologies, equipment, leading to a decrease in competitiveness;
  • - management - the growth of the management apparatus, bureaucracy, corruption, a decrease in the overall efficiency of the organizational and management system;
  • - motivational - a decrease in interest in work, a change in value orientations, a weakening of other forces driving socio-economic, technological and managerial development;
  • - ideological - a violation of the internal psychological individual and social balance associated with the loss of confidence in the foundations of the socio-economic policy.

The transition period includes three stages:

  • 1) deformation of the old economic order, the main goal of which is to eliminate outdated economic structures and mechanisms of functioning of the previous economic system, which is often associated with the emergence of a crisis situation in the national economy;
  • 2) the formation of a new economic order, the purpose of which is to create the necessary conditions and the emergence of new structures and mechanisms. In this phase, a new institutional environment is developed that ensures economic activity in a market environment;
  • 3) structural restructuring, the purpose of which is the regulatory impact of the state and market mechanisms on the national economy, bringing its reproductive, sectoral, regional and technological structure to a state that meets new strategic, socio-political and environmental goals.

Thus, the transition from one socio-economic system to another is a very complex process of reform, transformation and development, which requires a rather long period. On the one hand, this is a process of gradual "undermining" of the fundamental socio-economic relations of the old system and the emergence and development of new ones in its depths, which are contradictoryly connected with the former within the old system. On the other hand, the economy will gradually develop and strengthen the relations and elements of the new system and weaken the relations and elements of the old system.

Based on this, the following main features of the transition economy can be distinguished, which distinguish it from other established systems:

  • 1) The transition period is a long historical period due to the complexity and versatility of the transformations.
  • 2) The presence of two lines of development: an ascending one, which marks the formation of a new system of economic relations, and a descending one, which is expressed in the withering away of the previous one.
  • 3) If sustainable economies and systems (command, market, etc.) are characterized by a certain integrity, sustainability of development, then a transitional economy is characterized by instability of the state, violation of integrity. This situation, which is a crisis for the existing economic system, can be regarded as normal for a transforming economy. The preservation and reproduction for a relatively long time of instability, imbalance of the system has its own reason: a change in purpose. If in an ordinary, stable system, such a goal is its self-preservation, then for a transitional economy - transformation into another system. This instability, instability of the state of the transitional economy determines, on the one hand, a special dynamism of its development and the corresponding nature of changes - irreversibility, non-repetition, and on the other hand, an increase in the uncertainty of the results of the development of a transitional economy, options for the formation of a new system.
  • 4) The transition economy is characterized by quantitative and qualitative changes in the composition of the elements. It inherited the structural elements of the previous system. But these elements function as a different, transforming economic system, and therefore change both their content and their functions associated with the emergence of a fundamentally new economy. At the same time, new elements that are not characteristic of the old system appear in the economy. For example, a market economy is characterized by the presence of entrepreneurial structures of various forms of ownership, non-state enterprises, stock exchanges, commercial banks, non-state pension, insurance and other funds, and farms.
  • 5) With the equality of the initial and final points of transformations in certain countries, the commonality of methods, methods, sequence, pace of transformations is inevitable at the most essential points, although national characteristics, and even more so the differences in historical eras, give them a very significant specificity.

Institutional incompleteness, absence or embryonic state of certain market institutions (land market, stock market, etc.) is also a characteristic feature of a transitional economy. Let us consider these phenomena using the example of the transition from an administrative-command to a market economy. The main difficulty of the transition period is the creation of institutions of a market economy. Institutions in a broad sense are the rules of economic behavior and mechanisms that ensure their implementation, as well as economic organizations, business entities. During the transition period, institutions are formed, without which the market economy cannot function normally: private property, economic freedom and responsibility of business entities, competition, market infrastructure, etc.

Among the many changes taking place during the transition period, some are necessary, inevitable and therefore can be considered as regularities. The general patterns can be visually presented in Figure 1.

Figure 1 Ї General patterns of transition to a market economy

Thus, the transition to a market economy requires profound changes in the institutional structure of society, institutional transformation: transformation of property relations (privatization) and the introduction of the institution of private property, liberalization of the economy, creation of a package of market laws and limiting the role of the state, the formation of new business entities (commercial banks, various exchanges, investment and pension funds, etc.). Let's consider the main tasks of the transitional economy and the ways to solve them.

3.10.1. Essence, patterns and main features of the transitional economy.

3.10.2. Property and privatization.

3.10.3. Shadow economy.

3.10.4. Social justice and social inequality.

3.10.1. The essence and patterns of the economy in transition

Economy in transition- an economy that makes a transition from one state to another, in the process of which there is radical transformation of the entire socio-economic system, transforming property relations, institutions and management tools, goals and means of economic development.

A transitional economy is an intermediate state as a result of socio-economic transformations. As applied to Russia, the transitional economy corresponds to the transition from the administrative-command Soviet economy to the system of a market economy.

Patterns:

inertia of the reproductive process;

intensive development of new forms, relationships, institutions;

the role of the subjective factor.

The main features of the transition economy:

variability, instability;

the emergence of special transitional economic forms - a mixture of the old and the new;

the alternative nature of the development of a transitional economy;

the special nature of developmental contradictions;

the historicity of the economy in transition.


Specificity transition economy in Russia:

the historical unprecedentedness of the transition;

extremely high degree of nationalization of the economy;

long stay in the conditions of the administrative-command economy;

deep structural deformation of the economy;

low quality of many types of domestic products;

high degree of monopolization;

complete absence of market institutions.

Main tasks transition economy:

liberalization of the economy (transition to free pricing);

privatization of state-owned enterprises;

institutional transformation;

demonopolization of the economy and creation of a competitive environment;

structural transformations of the national economy;

transition to an open economy (liberalization of foreign trade);

limiting direct government intervention in the economy.

3.10.2. Ownership and privatization

Forms of ownership

On the basis of assignment:

individual- personal ownership of consumer goods, personal subsidiary farming, individual labor activity;

collective- cooperatives, collective, rental enterprises, partnerships, joint-stock enterprises, etc .;

state: national, regional and municipal.


On legal grounds : private property (citizens and legal entities), state, mixed (joint).
Property objects: goods, labor, land, natural resources, residential buildings, securities, capital.

Owners: citizens, collectives, the state.


Denationalization Is a set of measures to transform state property aimed at eliminating the excessive role of the state in the economy.

Privatization- a special form of property transformation is:

the process of transferring state property to private hands (denationalization) and transfer of service management from the state to the private sector. The reverse process is called nationalization... The goals of privatization can be different (Fig. 49).