This 1989 collection of ten essays‎,‎ originally published in 1989‎,‎ by leading scholars of the time from five countries brings together some of the most important economic contributions to the Third World Congress for Soviet and East European Studies‎.‎ First published at a time when the eastern bloc in general was confronting major economic problems‎,‎ the essays in this volume combine both topicality and detailed scholarly analysis‎,‎ addressing such significant topics as energy conservation‎,‎ regional development and technological innovation‎.‎ Although written primarily from an economic standpoint‎,‎ both the approach and language used should be accessible to scholars in the related fields of politics and development studies‎,‎ for whom the questions raised in this volume are likewise of great importance‎.‎