CONSUMPTION COOPERATION IN RURAL AREAS IN THE USSR: A COMMENT,
Abstract
In the years before collectivization, when consumer cooperatives served both urban and rural areas, their distinctive rural function was to accustom the peasant to joint enterprises, and thus prepare him for cooperative production. In 1935 (after collectivization was substantially accomplished) the state took over most urban trade, but retained cooperatives in the countryside because a separate distribution network made it easier to discriminate against the peasant consumer. Today, when discrimination is no longer sought, cooperatives persist because they are, potentially at least, more efficient (more autonomous, hence more able to respond to local needs) than the bureaucratic state system.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1967
- Accession Number
- AD0658425
Entities
People
- Nancy Nimitz
Organizations
- RAND Corporation