General study of the economy of the USSR during the period from 1917 to 1965 - gives historical background, and covers geographical aspects, political aspects, aspects of ownership, the soviet economic theory, economic growth, industrial development, agriculture, economic planning, economic policy, economic administration, entrepreneurship, fiscal policy, price policy, economic relations, the problem of decentralization, etc. References and statistical tables.

While growth figures are high for Soviet industry in general, they are especially impressive for the MBMW sector which has far outperformed other sectors of the economy. The question widely debated in the U.S.S.R. now is whether these impressive figures actually reflect the growth of physical output. To put it differently, did the Soviet economy receive more machines and equipment as a result of this growth, and, if so, was the rate of real growth the same as the growth in value terms? But why would one raise such a question in the first place? To answer this and similar questions, the procedures of Soviet measurement of output, productivity, costs and prices have been analyzed in this study. Special attention is given to the processes of planning quality improvements and pricing new technological items. An analysis of procedures and methodological instructions used in planning and pricing MBMW products may be helpful in revealing possible discrepancies between prices of new goods and their quality characteristics.

This survey of modern Soviet economic growth is based almost exclusively on Western works and does not include direct references to Soviet scholarly work. It is directed to the general public of economists, and therefore contains a section on sources of economic information about the Soviet Union and several subsections, such as the one describing the basics of the operation of the Soviet system, that are only indirectly related to the main issue. Contents: Introduction; Availability and Reliability of Information; The Growth Record; Structural Changes; The Socialist System and its Growth Strategy; R & D and Technological Change; The R & D Sector; Why did Growth Rates Decline?; Production Function Estimates; Evaluation and Conclusion-or, can The Trend be Reversed? (KR).