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Post-war Russian economic growth: not a riddle

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  • Mark Harrison

Abstract

In a recent article Steven Rosefielde (2003) has advanced three propositions. He suggests that according to the best available statistics the post-war growth of the Russian economy under the command system was surprisingly good; in fact, he argues that it was too good. The standard for this judgement is economic theory, which holds that non-market systems must fail by comparison with market economies; Rosefielde associates specifically this view with the ‘Washington consensus’. He concludes that it is the statistics that are at fault: they ‘lied and were misconstrued’ by Western ‘statistically oriented comparativists’ in a way that was unduly favourable to the command system. In this comment I argue that Rosefielde has misread both the facts and the theory. There is no riddle in the statistics. His conclusion, therefore, must fall.

Suggested Citation

  • Mark Harrison, 2003. "Post-war Russian economic growth: not a riddle," Europe-Asia Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(8), pages 1323-1329.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:ceasxx:v:55:y:2003:i:8:p:1323-1329
    DOI: 10.1080/0966813032000141132
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    Cited by:

    1. Brainerd, Elizabeth, 2006. "Reassessing the Standard of Living in the Soviet Union," CEPR Discussion Papers 5525, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Andrei Markevich & Ekaterina Zhuravskaya, 2009. "Career Concerns in a Political Hierarchy: A Case of Regional Leaders in Soviet Russia," Working Papers w0040, New Economic School (NES).
    3. Nicholas Crafts, 2012. "Economic History Matters," Economic History of Developing Regions, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(S1), pages 3-15.
    4. Brainerd, Elizabeth, 2010. "Reassessing the Standard of Living in the Soviet Union: An Analysis Using Archival and Anthropometric Data," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 70(1), pages 83-117, March.
    5. Christian Ochsner, 2023. "Hostility, Population Sorting, and Backwardness: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from the Red Army after WWII," CERGE-EI Working Papers wp768, The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economics Institute, Prague.

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