The Economics Of Soviet Arms

Contents: Soviet defense expenditures, 1950-1965 Difficulties and complications The official defense budget The 'real' defense budget The cost of military manpower Trends in Soviet defense spending The economic impact of the Soviet defense effort Defense as a component of GNP Industrial growth trends Industrial labor resources Defense and industrial technology Alternative demands for resources: agriculture and consumption Trends in the growth of Soviet GNP Conclusions The framework of choice Policy in the Krushchev era.

Soviet scholars have apparently stayed clear of meaningful analysis of such touchy subjects as interdependence and conflict in the relationship between economics and politics. Very little has been published on this issue—no surprise in a system that controls centrally both politics and the economy, with an emphasis on rapid economic development. The absence of meaningful Soviet research led the Federal Institute for East European and International Studies in Cologne to sponsor an international interdisciplinary conference on the subject. Contributions to the resulting book cover three main areas. The first includes the impact of traditional Russian political culture on contemporary Soviet economic thinking and behavior, the rank of economic aims in the priority system of Soviet politics, and the function of economic institutions in the implementation of political aims. The second concerns the role of political lobbies in the economy and repercussions of economic change for Soviet politics. Foreign economic relations and the USSR's foreign policy make up the third area. The concluding discussion reviews the state of international research and identifies areas for future study.

A study of the political economy of Soviet military power, examining Soviet Russian ideology and tradition, theory and practice of the military doctrine, the domestic aspect and new economic realism, technology and efficiency, and Perestroika and Glasnost from 1985-1987.

The political collapse of the Soviet Union has been much better documented than the course of its economic and social disintegration. To get an inside account, Ellman and Kontorovich questioned former top Soviet officials and economic and other policy advisors (both Soviet and foreign) who were privy not only to the data but also to the internal policy debate during the 1980s. They have woven their informants' analyses of key issues and turning points into a compelling history of systemic collapse. Among the topics covered are: economic performance in the 1980s; the standard of living; the reliability of Soviet statistics; Gosplan's projections for the economy to the year 2000; the arms race as a drain on the civilian economy; the role of ideology and the party's role in the functioning of the economic system; the struggle over a transition program; the influence of foreign advisors; and the functioning and collapse of the supply system, the CMEA, and the foreign trade system. Professor Ellman is the recipient of the 1998 Kondratieff gold medal for his contribution to the development of the social sciences.

For this study, a group of Russian authors were commissioned to describe and assess the arms trade policies and practices of Russia under new domestic and international conditions. The contributors, drawn from the government, industry, and academic communities, offer a wide range of reports on the political, military, economic, and industrial implications of Russian arms transfers, as well as specific case studies of key bilateral arms transfer relationships.

The Arms Industry is an area that is of huge concern to many people around the world. The economics of this hugely important industry are a vital strand that needs to be understood. This volume brings together contributors from all over the globe, such as Todd Sandler and Keith Hartley, and focuses on the important issues surrounding the Arms Trade