According to Gaider, after the coup against Gorbachev, economists were afraid to handle the restructuring of the economy or had no idea what should be done.
Why? Because the time for pleasant and nice solution for which you would be praised was now in the past, so they have to make and deal with unpleasant solutions. It was evident that they have to make some decisions that would not agree with the masses. And even if they were successful, it's clear that there won't be anyone to praise them for a job well done.
