First published in 1977, Planning and Politics examines Britain’s economic planning experiments during a period when the country’s seemingly intractable economic problems had become one of the major weaknesses of the western world. Since 1960, both Conservative and Labour governments carried out a series of experiments to plan the country’s affairs better and involve industry and trade unions in vital policy decisions. Despite limited domestic success, these experiments attracted significant international interest, establishing planning as a continuing feature of British national life.

Why did planning persist despite apparent failures? What went wrong with previous attempts, and what constitutional changes would result from planning instruments acquiring extra standing? Michael Shanks, without political affiliations but close to policymaking since 1960 as journalist, civil servant, industrialist, and director-general in the Common Market Commission, brings unique qualifications to this analysis.

His study for PEP assesses the roles of bodies such as the NEDC, TUC, CBI and IMF, establishing reasons for failure and recipes for future success. This objective and informed analysis poses challenging questions not only for Great Britain’s future but for the western world as a whole during this critical period of economic uncertainty.