Socialist Economy and Economic Policy

Comparative Economics take up where "National Economy" ends: with intimate knowledge of more than one economic system. There are general rules that apply to each and every economy, and there are diverse intricate special features, applicable in the analysis of differing economic systems. Does knowledge of the rules suffice to guide the scholar through the jungle of comparative economics, to avoid the pitfalls? The present volume is published to honour one who possesses that intimate knowledge of capitalism and socialism, the comprehension to guide him unfailingly and never to let him lose his perception in this maze: to salute Friedrich Levcik. Often during the thirteen years I have worked with him, listening to his expositions have I thought admiringly: "I wish I had thought of this", and I recall many occasions during sharp East-West controversies on delicate issues when Levcik's intervention offered a way out of the stalemate. Levcik's contributions to comparative economics are firmly grounded in the formi dable combination of his analytic mind and his impressive store of knowledge, theore tical training and practical experience: How did he accumulate this knowledge? How did he develop his gifts? The answer is found in his curriculum vitae: Born in Prague on December 6, 1915. His father, a coffee trader, died when he was three years old, but his mother managed to send him to the German St. Stephans Gymnasium.