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What did the Soviet Rulers Maximise?

Author

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  • Vladimir Kontorovich
  • Alexander Wein

Abstract

The predominant view in the literature holds that the main objective of the Soviet rulers was growth of the official measure of aggregate output, irrespective of its use structure, that is, growth for its own sake. We show that the pursuit of this objective would have been irrational, and argue instead that the main objective was the pursuit of military might. This formulation returns the Soviet rulers to the company of rational economic actors, helps explain the main characteristics of the Soviet economic development better than the majority view, and provides a different perspective on the system's final decades.

Suggested Citation

  • Vladimir Kontorovich & Alexander Wein, 2009. "What did the Soviet Rulers Maximise?," Europe-Asia Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 61(9), pages 1579-1601.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:ceasxx:v:61:y:2009:i:9:p:1579-1601
    DOI: 10.1080/09668130903209145
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    Cited by:

    1. Nicholas Crafts, 2012. "Economic History Matters," Economic History of Developing Regions, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(S1), pages 3-15.
    2. Mark Harrison & Inga Zaksauskienė, 2016. "Counter-intelligence in a command economy," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 69(1), pages 131-158, February.
    3. Harrison, Mark, 2011. "Capitalism at War," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 60, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    4. Vladimir Kontorovich, 2015. "The Military Origins of Soviet Industrialization," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 57(4), pages 669-692, December.
    5. Castañeda Dower, Paul & Markevich, Andrei & Weber, Shlomo, 2021. "The value of a statistical life in a dictatorship: Evidence from Stalin," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).

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