Book Reviews : The Colombo Plan and Other Essays. By FREDERIC BENHAM. (London, New York: Royal Institute of International Affairs. 1956. Pp. 89. $1.50.)
| Published date | 01 September 1958 |
| DOI | 10.1177/106591295801100327 |
| Date | 01 September 1958 |
| Author | Linden A. Mander |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
727
fessional
economists,
administrators,
and
ministers
in
this
scheme.
Since
1947
the
principal
instrument
of
economic
planning
and
control
has
been
the
Budget.
Because
of
the
complex
ramifications
of
the
impact
of
budget
policy
and
its
enforcement
it
might
be
anticipated
that
a
high
degree
of
sys-
tem
would
be
developed
which
might
enable
the
planners
to
evaluate
all
factors
in
the
economy.
However,
Professor
Beer
finds
no
such
system
of
thought
present.
Nor
does
he
appear
to
expect
to
find
it
in
the
British
ad-
ministrative
system.
He
does
find
that
in
the
Treasury
there
exists
a
corm-
mon
way
of
thinking
about
economic
problems,
a
way
shared
in
by
ministers
and
officials,
and
understood
by
administrators.
Although
the
series
of
decisions
that
become
the
Budget,
and
revealed
to
Parliament
and
the
country
at
a
specific
time,
lays
down
the
main
lines
of
economic
and
financial
policy
for
the
year,
in
practice
a
continual
adjust-
ment
of
policy
goes
on.
There
appears
to
be
no
formal
machinery
to
direct
these
adjustments.
Who
co-ordinates
the
ca-ordinators
in
the
Treasury?
Out
of
a
web
of
discussions
and
exchanges
of
information
judgment
is
arrived
at.
Co-ordination
is
accomplished
as
much
by
telephone
or
at
lunch
as
in
committee
sessions.
In
a
final
chapter
entitled
&dquo;The
Nature
of
the
Treasury’s
Power,&dquo;
the
author
manages
to
convey
much
insight
into
the
process
by
which
officials
of
the
Treasury
exercise
co-ordination
without
seeking
to
command.
He
also
deals
with
the
relations
between
the
officials
and
the
Chancellor
of
the
Exchequer,
and
with
the
relationship
of
the
Treasury
to
government
policy.
This
book
is
not
a
technical
study
such
as
might
be
written
by
a
senior
civil
servant.
It
is
clearly
one
written
by
a
political
science
scholar
who
has
a
feeling
for
the
processes
of
British
government.
University
of
California,
Los
Angeles.
WINSTON
W.
CROUCH.
The
Colombo
Plan
and
Other
Essays.
By
FREDERIC
BENHAM.
(London,
New
York:
Royal
Institute
of
International
Affairs.
1956.
Pp.
89.
$1.50.)
Professor
Benham’s
essays
are
entitled
&dquo;The
Colombo
Plan:
An
Eco-
nomic
Survey&dquo;;
&dquo;Deficit
Finance
in
Asia&dquo;;
&dquo;Protection
and
the
Under-
developed
Countries&dquo;;
&dquo;On
Stabilizing
the
Prices
of
Primary
Products&dquo;;
&dquo;Overpopulation.&dquo;
They
give
a
brief
but
incisive
analysis
of
some
of
the
main
problems
confronting
underdeveloped
countries
as
well
as
govern-
ments
which
are
attempting
by
one
plan
or
another
to
help
them.
After
a
summary
survey
of
the
machinery
of
the
Colombo
Plan
the
author
plunges
into
questions
of
policy.
He
warns
against
premature
in-
dustrialization
(taking
the
unfortunate
experience
of
Ceylon
as
an
ex-
ample),
urges
the
need
of
careful
disposition
of
capital
(since
so
little
is
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