The Incan Empire was the most successful centrally planned economy in history. My understanding of economics led me to believe that Centrally Planned Economies are fundamentally untenable. So why was the Incan economy so successful? Why did the Incans succeed where the Soviets failed?

by HealthMotor8651

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_Inca_Empire

The Incan empire did not use coins or markets, it was centrally planned. "Taxes" were paid via labor to the state. The state provided key services, " People of the Inca Empire received free clothes, food, health care, and schooling in exchange for their labor " (source was the wikipedia link).

Sounds almost like the dream of soviet planners right?

Granted, industrialization massively increased the complexity of an economy, but with modern computing technology that complexity could be reduced no? So, then the question becomes, why did the Soviets fail where the Incans succeeded? Was it just due to that complexity? If the soviets had modern computing technology, could they have matched Incan success?

Thanks!