command economy

American  

[kuh-mand i-kon-uh-mee] / kəˈmænd ɪˌkɒn ə mi /

noun

1. a socialist economic system in which production and distribution of goods and services are controlled by the government and industry is mostly publicly owned.

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command economy British  

noun

1. Also called: planned economy.  an economy in which business activities and the allocation of resources are determined by government order rather than market forces

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Etymology

Origin of command economy

First recorded in 1940–45

Compare meaning

How does command-economy compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• market economy vs. command economy

Example Sentences

Since the fall of communism 35 years ago, Poland has transformed itself from a command economy notorious for rationed goods and empty store shelves to one of the engines of European growth.

From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026

There is supposed to be no "unemployment" in a command economy, so Mr Lee will not have been laid off - but his already paltry income would have received a fatal blow.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2018

Before elections in 2010, Myanmar was both one of the most brutal dictatorships in Asia and a closed, command economy where government factories churned out a variety of items like soap and bicycles.

From New York Times • Nov. 16, 2012

In 1928 Stalin’s plans called for a command economy, a system in which the government made all economic decisions.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2012

Since 1990, widespread conflicts, e.g., in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Mengrelia, severely aggravated the economic crisis resulting from the disintegration of the Soviet command economy in December 1991.

From The 1994 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency