Plan execution and the workability of soviet planning

In the execution phase of its planning, the Soviet economy contains mechanisms which, although they do not consistently move the system toward its efficiency frontier, prevent it from falling disastrously short of it. The mechanisms include flows of nonprice scarcity information, generated in the plan's execution, and responses to that information, improvised both by the central planners and by subordinate participants. The information is usually poor, but, for any given error in it, the odds increase with the degree of initial inefficiency that the responses will be toward the frontier. At identifiable limits, responses in the right direction become certain.     

Practitioners' forum perestroika and soviet biotechnology

This article summarizes the findings of a UK Department of Trade and Industry 'Overseas Science and Technology Expert Mission' on Biotechnology to the USSR, made over the period 15-24 September 1989. The mission visited some of the most important basic research institutes working in biotechnmology in the Moscow region, including the 'Biocity' of Poushchino, and Kiev in the Ukrainian SSR. These institutes ranged from primarily basic research to ones which had strong links with industrial production. We report on the scientific and technical level of some of the most advanced Soviet centres, such as the Shemyakin Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, the most important and prominent biotechnology institute in the USSR. The peculiar problems which best Soviet research in the field are described in the context of perestroika, the current restruing of Soviet society.     

Western project-investment theory and soviet investment rules

While Soviet investment rules, as represented by the latest Standard Methodology (SM), leave a little to be desired as far as complete consistency is concerned, a realistic appraisal of Western theory and practice reveals their serious defects as welfare-optimizing tools. Careful analysis shows that the SM rules are reasonably well coordinated and organized along national-income-maximization principles conducive to welfare maximization. One related concept that often gives rise to misunderstanding (sebestoimost) is investigated and seen to be consistent with optimization.     

Perestroika and parallelism: advanced information technology and the soviet union

This paper begins by examining the history of Soviet computer hardware and software development, in part seeking the roots of the persistent Soviet lag behind the West. Then some impressions of the current situation are given, based around visits to a leading Soviet research establishment, the Institute for Space Research. At that Institute and others. parallel architectures are being used to gain reasonable computing power from what is by contemporary Western standards mediocre hardware. Impressive expertise, particularly in software development, is to be found, but it is still operating under constraints, such as difficult access to Western technology and technologists. In the last section of the paper it is argued that it is now in the interests of both East and West to ease that access. Improving and diffusing Soviet information technology is a key goal of the process of perestroika (restructuring). Cooperation with, rather than hostility to, Soviet efforts in information technology now makes sense for the West, especially Europe, because of the possibilities for mutually beneficial trade and also because we should wish perestroika to succeed.     

"十一五"经济增长速度规划的科学内涵

本文建立了一个经济增长方程并利用1987—2004年中国经济增长数据对“十一五”时期的经济增长速度作出了预测,将预算速度与十一五规划纲要规划的经济增长速度进行了比较,从中解读出“十一五”规划的经济增长速度的科学内涵。     

The Ratchet: A dynamic managerial incentive model of the soviet enterprise

The impact of the ratchet on the level of output that maximizes the present value of the managerial bonus stream is investigated. Using the orthodox USSR incentive scheme, results indicate that the ratchet does not always cause managers to select an output level that is less than the enterprise's full capacity. Nonetheless, the ratchet typically requires maximizing behavior that prevents production at capacity. The results reported for only two periods apply to longer horizons.     

Measuring inflation in the soviet machinebuilding sector, 1960–1973

This article examines the behavior of machinery wholesale prices in the Soviet Union during the 1960–1973 period. Many Western experts hypothesize that Soviet enterprises escape fixed prices by making cosmetic changes in established products in order to raise their prices—the so-called new-product-pricing phenomenon. The hedonic technique—the use of regression analysis to examine the connection between price change and quality improvements in machinery items—is used in the study to test for the presence of this phenomenon and to determine what impact, if any, it had on machinery price levels over the period studied.     

Urban design and energy utilization: A comparative analysis of soviet practice

The consumption of energy by urban populations depends in part upon the efficiency of the process used to provide residential, commercial, and industrial heat. This paper explores the systemic determinants of the adoption of district heating and co-generation, evaluates the extent of resulting energy savings, and appraises USSR practice. Differences between economic systems in the specification of property rights cause differences in both transaction costs and the treatment of externalities and partially explain the greater utilization of district heating and co-generation in planned economies. Institutional changes required in market economies to adopt this urban-design strategy are suggested.     

宏观调控目标的“十一五”分析与“十二五”展望

本文旨在对我国"十一五"时期宏观经济调控目标的实现情况进行分析,对"十二五"时期的经济增长目标提出相应的政策建议和论证。全文共分四部分:首先,回顾"十一五"规划中有关宏观调控的指导原则和主要目标。其次,说明这些宏观调控目标的实现情况。再次,对"十二五"时期经济增长目标提出政策建议:在"十二五"规划中,经济增长目标的设定可有三种方法:一种是,仍沿用过去的习惯,把目标值设定得比较低;另一种是,可以设定目标区间,即以潜在经济增长率为基准的适度经济增长区间;再一种是,不是设定单一的五年固定不变的目标值,也不是笼统地设定一个目标区间,而是对未来五年中的各年设定不同的、可以反映经济波动趋势的目标值。最后,本文对这些政策建议进行具体的测算与分析。     

上海十五期间固定资产投资预测研究

文章以上海“十五”计划和1978－1999年的统计资料为依据,运用数量分析方法对上海“十五”期间固定资产总量及结构进行了较为系统的预测的分析,并就“十五”期间上海投资目标与有关的宏观经济背景问题展开研究,提出了若干对策建议。     

基于《淮流规》的水资源配置规划后评价

文章概述了《淮流规》中水资源配置规划的主要内容与实际发生情况,并对其进行综合评价,指出水资源供需产生偏差的主要原因在于对社会经济发展形势估计不足、对水资源的制约作用估计不足、对水资源工程预测过于乐观和需水预测偏大等,并提出了新形势下水资源配置规划的思路及对策建议。     

混沌理论在我国货币政策制定和执行中的应用

我国货币政策环境可视作混沌的复杂系统。混沌理论表明,系统在时空上的复杂结构通常隐含着简单的决定性准则,一旦这样的准则被发现,管理当局则可以观察或者控制系统内部的复杂状况,以达到预期目标。运用于货币政策的混沌理论,是指将货币政策环境看作是具有高度复杂性和长期行为不可预测性的混沌系统,其中必然隐含着复杂系统内普遍适用的简单决定性准则。如果我们掌握并始终遵循这一准则,就可以观察并控制货币政策环境这一复杂混沌系统,使货币政策目标向预期的方向发展。     

自由贸易区战略实施效果评估及展望

自由贸易区是中国深化国内改革、扩大高水平开放、深度参与国际规则制订的重要平台。"十三五"期间,中国的自由贸易区战略取得积极进展,与自贸伙伴的贸易与投资关系更加紧密,协定涵盖内容不断拓展,但与周边国家以及国际高标准的自贸协定相比仍有一定差距。中美博弈加剧、地缘战略竞争、逆全球化趋势、全球供应链重构等政治、经济因素对中国实施自由贸易区战略构成一定挑战。"十四五"时期,应加快推动自由贸易协定的谈判,优化全球布局,促进提质升级,激发合作动力,在提高风险防控的基础上,推动自由贸易区成为内外循环互促发展的新助力。     

美国海洋研究优先计划

海洋对人类有着重要的作用。作为科技发达国家,2007年美国首次制定了海洋研究优先计划,2010年奥巴马签署总统令,制定了美国历史上第一个国家海洋政策,2013年美国修订了先前的计划出台了升级版的海洋研究优先计划,以进一步推动对海洋的科学研究。美国海洋研究优先计划列出了六大社会主题:海洋自然资源与文化资源管理,提高自然灾害和环境灾害的恢复力,海洋运输业务活动及海洋环境,海洋在气候变化中的角色,改善生态系统健康以及海洋与人类健康的关系等。在海洋研究中,有些课题横跨六大社会主题,跨领域的主要课题有全球气候变化、社会科学和海洋文化等。通过对美国海洋优先计划的介绍,以期对我国推动海洋科学发展有所借鉴。