ABSTRACT
Economic planning has been practised in the communist countries since the late 1920s, and has more recently been adopted by developing countries throughout the world irrespective of their political systems and ideological preconceptions. The immediate post-war labour government lacked clear-cut ideas about economic planning and was compelled by the severe difficulties of Britain's economic situation to live a more or less hand-to-mouth existence so far as economic policies were concerned. It nevertheless talked a great deal about planning and thereby unwittingly succeeded in convincing a large number of people that planning was to be identified with physical controls, regimentation, and austerity. The government which appears to have walked this tight-rope most successfully is the French, but it must be admitted that the appearance has some element of deception. There is in fact less contrast than is sometimes imagined between France and Germany and France and Italy in respect of the government's economic role.
