Vladimir G. Treml

Soviet and Russian Statistics on Alcohol Consumption and Abuse

The purpose of this paper is to summarize and offer analytical comments concerning the availability and reliability of official government statistics on alcohol and related issues in the former Soviet Union and contemporary Russia. The paper is organized in six section. The introduction (Section 1) summarizes state alcohol policy issues. Sections 2 and 3 are focused on, respectively, alcohol consumption and on alcohol abuse statistics. Sections 4 and 5 address two issues related to alcohol abuse: the impact of Gorbachevs anti-drinking campaign and deaths from alcohol poisoning: these issues which remain controversional illustrate problems of working with available Russian statistics. Section 6 lists bibliographical sources used in the paper.

Death from alcohol poisoning in the USSR

The author examines the magnitude and causes of fatal accidental poisoning by alcohol in the Soviet Union in the late 1960s and early 1970s. A method for estimating deaths from alcohol and other poisonings based on available Soviet data is described and data are presented on alcohol-related mortality and mortality from other poisons by republic for 1970. (ANNOTATION)

1987 Panel on the Soviet Economic Outlook: Perceptions on a Confusing Set of Statistics

Results of the second meeting of a panel of distinguished specialists who review annually Soviet economic performance are presented in the form of proceedings interwoven with tabular material, references, and occasional abstracts. Because of serious inconsistences and discrepancies in official Soviet statistical data for the year 1986, a debate on the quality of Soviet economic statistics is included in the review of performance. PlanEcon estimates are compared with those of the CIA. Also discussed are perspectives on agriculture and industry and prospects for 1987. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: 052, 124, 221.

Gorbachev's Economic Reform: A Soviet Economy Roundtable

The proceedings of a panel of American specialists devoted to the recent economic reform are summarized. The panelists noted that the most substantial changes to date have accompanied efforts to restructure the decisionmaking hierarchy—in particular, a recentralization of authority through the creation of biuros and state committees and legislation on individual economic activity. Changes in the systems of economic planning and incentives, on the other hand, have been minor, suggesting a continuing debate over the extent to which price reform and various economic incentives should be implemented. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: 052, 113, 124.

The inferior quality of Soviet machinery as reflected in export prices

Abstract Soviet machinery produced for domestic use is, in general, of substantially lower quality than machinery produced for export. Special export-price supplements compensate manufacturers for the higher costs incurred in meeting world-market quality standards. In the 1970s these supplements ranged from 6 to 95% of the domestic price, averaging about 40%. These price supplements can serve as a measure of the gap between Soviet domestic and world-market quality standards. The author suggests that this measure be used to adjust current Western estimates of ruble/dollar ratios for machinery and that an upward adjustment by a factor of about 1.4 would make these ratios more realistic.

1986 Panel on the Soviet Economic Outlook

The results of the inaugural meeting of a panel on the Soviet economy, convened by the editors of Soviet Economy, are summarized. The panel noted that 1985 economic performance had been fairly good by recent Soviet standards, although the external trade balance had deteriorated sharply. Turning to the Twelfth Five-Year Plan (FYPXII) and the annual plan for 1986, the panel noted the clearly taut nature of both plans, and the apparent inconsistencies between them. The consensus was that the FYPXII targets would be very difficult to achieve, although outsiders may find it hard to judge due to the inherent ambiguities in measuring quality changes, and the potential for significant hidden inflation in growth statistics. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: 052, 124).

Soviet Foreign Trade in Foodstuffs

Analysis of import dependence or of shares of imported food in consumption when measured in value terms is severely handicapped by the fact that Soviet foreign trade statistics are reported in world market values which differ from domestic prices and by the nonequilibrium nature of the latter. This study offers an alternative method of relating imports to consumption based on calorie measures. Having recomputed exports and imports in calories, the study shows that between 1970 and 1981 the USSR changed from a position of net exporter of food to a high dependence with about 22% of total domestic consumption provided by imports. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: 124, 421, 713.