Regional Economic Development in the Soviet Union, Two Case Studies: The Baltic and Central Asia.
Abstract
This study evaluates two issues regarding regional development in the Soviet Union -- the first is to identify the principal contributors to regional economic growth; the second to analyze the impact of selected Soviet policies on regional development. Growth records of the Baltic and Central Asia are examined both in terms of factor input growth, and in terms of productivity growth. The two aspects of Soviet policy analyzed are the regional impact of non-regional policies (e.g., maintaining high rates of growth and a powerful military) and the impact of policies that are basically regional in nature (e. g., equalizing living standards across geographic regions). The study method is to formulate and estimate a linear simultaneous model for a Soviet economic region. The data consist of pooled cross-sectional time-series information covering the republics of the two regions (excluding Turkmenia) from 1960 to 1977. The causes of growth in the nonagricultural sectors are analyzed by applying the methods of Edward F. Denison to the estimation results from the model's production functions. The same basic approach is attempted for agriculture, but poor estimation results limit success. Issues bearing on changes in the primary factors (capital and labor) are evaluated in the framework of the model.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADA103768
Entities
People
- James Bert Streets
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology