Richard B. Foster

Ideology and economic analysis: The case of soviet civil defense

Abstract This article describes the polar views of the U.S. politico‐security community on the effectiveness of Soviet civil emergency preparedness programs and adduces the philosophical underpinning of the wide disparity in the estimates. Factors are identified which must be considered, and if possible, measured, to support an accurate estimate of the real effectiveness of the Soviet programs. These considerations include the nature of the successive phases of recuperation, reconstitution, and recovery of the national entity following a nuclear conflict. Some general propositions in the face of the Soviet effort are presented.