The Norwegian economist Christian Schöneider was the first to discuss the idea of economic planning and highlight its importance. The idea later evolved

during World War I, first in Germany and then in Britain.

Capitalist countries then adopted this approach, but considered it a temporary tool to help transition their national economies from peacetime to wartime. However, despite

Although economic planning was considered a temporary approach, notably, it was adopted during times of crisis—demonstrating the great importance it holds

this pattern of planning.

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What Is Economic Planning?

The basic idea behind economic planning is that the state effectively manages and operates the sectors of the national economy, guiding them toward achieving certain

economic and social goals. Others define it as creating an overall picture of the sectors of a country’s national economy.

Some argue that economic planning consists of setting specific goals and establishing the methods, structures, and procedures needed to achieve these

goals at the lowest possible social cost.

The thinker and economist Charles Bettelheim held a different view. He said: “Planning is a process that can organize all areas of development

economic and social, and requires coordination and integration across the various sectors of the national economy. This calls for a broad, comprehensive study;

to ensure that society grows in a steady, coordinated manner, at the fastest pace possible.”

Although views differ on how to define economic planning, largely because each takes a different perspective on

it, the core idea and defining nature of this type of planning is to take the national economy’s resources into account when setting goals

and specific economic plans.

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How Can Economic Planning Succeed?

This question can be reframed as follows: How does planning succeed in general? Economic planning is one part of planning as a whole; therefore, what

In this particular case, what applies to administrative planning also applies to all other types of planning.

The conditions we are about to outline are essential for successful planning in general, not just economic planning. In any case, for this type of planning to succeed, it must

meet the following conditions:

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1-الواقعية:

What is the value of a fanciful or idealistic economic plan? None at all. It may not even be worth the ink it was written with. A plan that can be implemented and can

achieve the intended results is one based on realistic data that reflects the society as a whole and takes into account the economy’s actual resources

during the period in which the planning takes place.

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2- الشمول:

The plan must be comprehensive: it should cover all economic resources, account for all variables, and avoid planning for one activity at the expense of another. Instead, it should

take a panoramic view of economic resources and a comprehensive view of the activities that need to be carried out.

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3- التناسق:

In other words, each economic plan must align with the objectives, conflict with none of them, and ensure that its different parts do not conflict with one another.

Instead, every stage of the plan must move in the same direction and contribute to the objectives set in advance.

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4- التكامل:

An integrated economic plan is one in which all activities and variables are interconnected at every level. It makes no sense to plan an activity and then fail to

take into account the variables that could undermine the foundations of the economic plan itself.

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5- المرونة:

The plan must remain adaptable at all times. If facts or economic conditions make it necessary to change the plan or any of its terms, it should be changed

immediately, because continuing to work based on conditions or facts that are no longer valid would only waste time and effort.