New Economic Mechanism

The period from 1956–1968 was one of reform in Eastern Europe. The beginning of these transformations was marked by the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, which resulted in János Kádár’s placement as the communist leader of the People's Republic of Hungary and the creation of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party (HSWP). For the first ten years of his rule, Kádár’s objective was to create a united Hungary, announcing in December 1961 that "those who are not against us are with us." Kádár also focused his attention on economic improvement. On 7 May 1966, the Central Committee of the HSWP announced Kádár's plans for the reform of the economy, known as the New Economic Mechanism (NEM). The reform is considered as "the most radical postwar change" of any Comecon country. The plan, which became official 1 January 1968, was a major shift to decentralization in an attempt to overcome the inefficiencies of central planning. The NEM represented a move away from the Soviet economic system of compulsory plan indicators in favor of a policy that states profits as the enterprise's main goal. The new economic policy was a "comprehensive reform of the economic system", creating market relationships among firms, using prices as allocative functions and firms responding to prices to maximize profits, and using profits to budget new investments. The reform movement lost some momentum around the mid 70s due to recessions in the West, which gave credibility to anti-reformist and anti-international trade sentiments across the political spectrum. == Enterprises ==

The Central Committee's document on 7 May 1966 details changes in the firm's role under the new economic policy. The number of Big Economic Organizations (BEOs), with large influence horizontally and vertically, greatly increased during this time. The number of total enterprises in Hungary fell 79% from 1961 to 1978, indicating a large rate of conglomeration. This prompted political debate around the late 70s as to whether these BEOs should rightfully exist. It would restart under its second phase, however, around the late 70s. == Prices ==

The NEM also aimed to create a more active role for prices in allocating resources. A system of free prices reflecting market conditions was implemented. The government wanted flexibility, but also to combat inflation. To do so, they introduced a new practice of price controls declaring an item's price as fixed, limited, or free. Fixed prices were classified as material and basic intermediate goods. The price was fixed because of the good's impact on the economy and the overall need to ensure stability. The price was determined by ministries. Limited prices referred to particular products or products in some product group for which there were no substitutes, such as bread. It was applied on the average price over a period or a window within which prices were free to fluctuate. Free prices were assigned to goods that formed small parts of individual expenditures or were regarded as luxuries. The price reform allowed for prices better to reflect the cost of production and the valuation by the market, and to correspond more closely to "some measure of socially necessary inputs", helping reach market equilibrium. == Foreign trade ==

The goal of the New Economic Mechanism consisted of improving Hungary's economy to make Hungary a serious contributor to the international economy. In 1966 the Soviet Union accounted for 32% of Hungary's exports and 29% of its imports. Of Hungary's exports to Western Developed Countries, 42.7% was Food and Live Animals, 43.5% Manufactured Goods. Meanwhile, trade with Socialist Countries consisted largely of Manufactured Goods (81.3%). Conversely, Hungary's imports from the West were primarily Manufactured Goods (70.6%). Because of the pre-existing quota system which placed an emphasis on quantity, not quality, Hungarian goods were inferior and did not meet Western technological standards. Decentralization provided enterprises with the opportunity to better align with the world market by giving them more freedom in deciding which products and technologies to invest in and manufacture. Additionally, firms were paid for exports in the Hungarian currency equivalent of the foreign currency they earned, as the government aimed to involve enterprises in foreign markets and in improving the quality of goods produced. The new plan established direct connections between the foreign and domestic markets on the basis of an appropriate exchange rate. The primary concern of the New Economic Mechanism was in improving foreign trade and establishing a relationship between success in exportation and a firm's profitability. ==See also==