The Formulation of the Compendium on Mid-Term Reform Program by Eight Units Organized by the State Commission for Restructuring the Economic System in 1987

Abstract

From October 1987 to June 1988, the research teams of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Peking University, the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, the Renmin University of China, the Institute of Development of the Rural Development Research Center of the State Council, and the State Development Planning Commission, Wu Jinglian’s Research Team, and the Shanghai Research Team respectively submitted their reports on the “Compendium on China’s Mid-Term Reform Program (1988–1995)” under the organization of the State Commission for Restructuring the Economic System. The period represented a key period in which China’s economic system reform shifted from old systems and mechanisms to new ones. The State Commission for Restructuring the Economic System entrusted over a hundred scholars in competent economic departments, scientific research organizations, colleges and universities, and some municipality directly under the central government to provide specific thoughts, conceptions and program compendiums on how to carry out economic reform in five to eight years in the future. The successful practice of China’s economic reform indicated that many views, thoughts and conceptions proposed in the reports on the program compendium were realistically well-targeted, foresighted and innovative and they played a good role in promoting economic reform. Therefore, this initiative was a successful exploration in concentrating the wisdom of various parties to provide proposals and suggestions about China’s reform. The reports of the eight research teams above together with the report of the Department of Comprehensive Planning of the State Commission for Restructuring the Economic System in summarization of those reports were compiled into a book entitled General Thinking on China’s Reform, published by the Shenyang Press in July 1988 with 50,000 copies printed. Because of its important theoretical innovation and practical value on China’s economic reform, the book was honored the Sun Yefang Award of Economic Science.