Jerry F. Hough

The Russian Election of 1993: Public Attitudes Toward Economic Reform and Democratization

A leading American specialist on the Soviet Union and Russia reports on results of a massive (N = 33,869) nationwide survey of a random sample of the adult Russian population in 69 provinces and republics of the Russian Federation. The survey was administered during the three-week period preceding the elections of December 12, 1993. This article focuses on mass attitudes toward economic, political, and ethnic-national issues, exploring as well the demographic correlates of attitudes. The author concludes that the Russian population is highly receptive to moderate reform, but not to shock therapy. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers H19, P29.

Opening up the Soviet Economy

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The Bureaucratic Model and the Nature of the Soviet system

During the past fifty years, many persons have noted the presence of large-scale organization-of bureaucracy-in the Soviet Union and have placed this phenomenon at the center of their analysis of the present or the future. In the early years of the Soviet regime, Lenin himself had worried about the dangers of &dquo;bureaucratization,&dquo; and Trotsky (1937) had asserted that the bureaucracy had become the ruling element in Soviet society. Just prior to World War II, James Burnham (1941) developed the Trotsky analysis further, asserted that a &dquo;managerial revolution&dquo; had occurred in the Soviet Union, and contended that it would spread (and, indeed, was spreading) throughout the world.’ Shortly after the fall of Stalin, Barrington Moore (1954) relied heavily upon Max Weber’s theory of bureaucracy in developing a model of &dquo;rationaltechnical society&dquo; which he believed to provide the best clue to

The Political Geography of European Russia: Republics and Oblasts

A prominent American Sovietologist and specialist on Russian government and politics examines the 1996 presidential election in European Russia and correlates regional voting patterns with attitudes toward economic reform, the West, and the disintegration of the USSR. The study presents the results of a March 1997 survey, which incorporated 3,800 responses from young adults aged 17 to 33 in the oblasts and 13,000-16,000 responses from high school students in republic capitals. It identifies and explains differences in voting patterns in ethnic versus non-ethnic territorial units, noting anomalous shifts in voting between the first and second rounds. Also presented and analyzed are young peoples attitudes toward the principal candidates as well as economic issues. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: H10, I31, O52.31 tables, 19 references.

Soviet Urban Politics and Comparative Urban Theory

AUTHOR’S NOTE: The author would like to thank Professors Thomas Anton, Richard Hofferbert, and Charles Tillv of the University of Michigan for very helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper, and the Center for Russian and East European Studies of the University of Michigan (and Alfred Meyer personally) for an allocation of computer time that made some of the analysis possible. Of course, neither these men nor the Center is responsible for the interpretations made In appealing for caution in the comparative analysis of urban life in Communist countries, Professor Frolic has correctly pointed to the very considerable difficulties in using the comparative approach in that part of the world. Information often is scarce, and, where it is available, it frequently has not been analyzed by Western scholars in terms that correspond

The New Model of Economic Management

One of General Secretary Gorbachevs key economic advisors outlines the basic components of a new “model” of economic management in the USSR (e.g., new forms of private and cooperative activity, increased flexibility in production, relationships in state enterprises, election of directors), to be in place by the early 1990s. Also presented is the rationale for the current timetable of the reform. American participants in the first joint Soviet Economy roundtable then discuss with the Academician the role of collectives and local Party officials in the new system of management. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: 027, 052, 124.

The Gorbachev Reform: A Maximal Case

Assumptions that major reform in the Soviet economy cannot be realized are challenged. Beliefs that Gorbachev is unable or unwilling to take necessary political risks, that bureaucratic resistance will forestall efforts at incremental change, and that Communist ideology lacks themes that can be used to mobilize support for innovation are analyzed. Assessment of reform should be based on an awareness of the advantages (as well as risks) of a strategy tying Gorbachevs political fate to reform and of the effectiveness of a timetable that consolidates gains in services and agriculture before confronting an entrenched industrial bureaucracy. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: 052, 113, 124.

The Politics of the 19th Party Conference

Reasons for caution in interpreting results of the 19th Party Conference are outlined, but an argument for a continuing consolidation of Gorbachevs power and use of the democratization theme as a screen for acceleration of economic reform is made. Various explanations for the lack of significant change in party rules and in procedures for determining Central Committee membership (defeat for Gorbachev, alternative strategies for membership change, solid Politburo and/or military power base for Gorbachev) are examined, Gorbachevs ability to handle the “lame duck” membership problem in the Central Committee being identified as a feature to watch in the future. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: 052, 124, 113.

Labor Problems in Light of Perestroyka

A number of fundamental labor-related problems to be addressed in perestroyka is outlined by the Director of the Economics Research Institute of Gosplan. The initial presentation covers worker apathy, lack of discipline, poor correspondence between wages and the importance and skill level of various occupations, and unemployment and retraining. As a participant in the first joint Soviet Economy roundtable, he then responds to questions by American participants, a distinguished economist and an eminent political scientist, on the role of cooperatives in absorbing surplus labor displaced by restructuring, and how responsibility for re-employment of dismissed employees will be delegated. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: 124, 800.

Panel on Growth and Technology in Perestroyka

A part of the proceedings of the first joint Soviet Economy roundtable, focused on the pivotal role of modern technology in perestroyka, is presented in the form of questions and answers reflecting a lively debate between distinguished Soviet and American economists. Adaptation to new technologies is analyzed in light of uskoreniye, plan priorities, and a variety of factors influencing economic growth. Also debated are issues relating to enterprises and industries, particularly within the context of contrasts between the civilian and military economies. Specific issues such as the tradeoffs between centralization and autonomy are discussed in some detail. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: 052, 124, 621.