ROLE OF STATE IN MARKET ECONOMY WITH RETROSPECT TO CURRENT SITUATION IN CROATIA

In contemporary economic neoliberalism the idea of increased responsibility of state on national and international level aimed to protection of general and long-run interests becomes actual again, maintaining in this the freedom and initiative of individual, autonomy and enterprising spirit of economic subjects, as well as autoregulation market mechanism to the maximum extent.The examples of USA, France and Japan showed that active role of state in economic development and macroeconomic planning are not incompatible with market character of economy and private entrepreneurship, and that they can be necessary and very successfulin specific circumstances. Consequently, the state in Croatia due to mentioned specific reasons, must take over the role of initiator and catalyst of accelerated economic development until the conditions for “self generating” development process are made, what implies the undertaking of a number of development activities harmonized with adopted development strategy or plan. That could make a “big push” which would break more or less internal constellation of domestic economic scene aimed to initiation of accelerated development. The model of indicative, flexible and probable planning seems to be the closest to Croatian conditions and needs. Such planning is indicative because it offers only the framefor activity of autonomous economic subjects; it is flexible i.e. subordinated to changes during its implementation; it is also probable because it anticipates desirable or probable rhytm and directions of future development. Besides, it is also theological, which means that it tends to harmonize in a possible measure future development with desirable national goals. But it should be kept in mind that development planning is a very sophisticated job which cannot be done, as general experience shows, without adequate professional methodology and procedure, without competent personnel and without specific institution specialized for macroeconomic planning.