The Impact of Czechoslovak Economic Reforms (1985-1989) on the Management and Economy of Collective Farms
Abstract
In the mid-1980s the performance of Czechoslovak agriculture reached its post-war peak. However, a significant increase in raw material prices and industrial input prices forced the end of the extensive agricultural development phase at this time.
The new phase, overlapping with the period of rebuilding, required higher production efficiency - realized cost savings while maintaining the current performance growth. Two system modifications (1986 and 1989) changed the rules for farm management.
Moreover, the 1989 modification was considered a groundbreaking one: in agriculture it was the first implementation of reform of the Czechoslovak economy in general. Did these measures lead to more efficient management of collective farms or did they contribute to their economic destabilization?