The strategic interaction between managers and workers in Soviet industrial enterprises: Work-place motivation and economic performance

We construct a model of Soviet industrial enterprises, examining the strategic interaction between managers and workers as technology and workers' pay/performance relations evolve. Before 1965, when both players started sharing a bonus fund, workers received piece wages and selected their effort independently of management. With standardised technology, this regime fostered economic growth, at least until the weakening of the pay/performance nexus in 1965. After 1965, the game changed: anything making one player less motivated engendered a similar action by the other. The economy's vulnerability as technology changed and inflation weakened motivation no doubt contributed to its recent collapse.     

Effects of household size and composition on consumption in rural households in Matabeleland South,Zimbabwe

This study, using a survey of rural households in Zimbabwe in 1990/91, focuses on the effects of changing household composition on patterns of expenditure and provides estimates of the ‘cost of a child’ as well as of family members in other age groups. In addition to age differences in the size and direction of responses to changing family composition, the paper highlights significant differences across product groups. These effects are more muted in larger households.     

Preparing For The Future

Abstract: The introduction starts by arguing the case for “preparing for the future”. Such preparation requires a serious scientific undertaking and warns African governments from the simplistic approaches of consultants, who claim to be “experts” at divining “prophesizing” the future. A brief survey is then made of the various attempts to prepare for the future during the last 30 years. It is asserted that, these attempts have not been implemented and have been overwhelmed by the “crises management culture” of the last 15 years. The themes and issues presented by the contributors are then discussed in terms of what the contributors thought were the causes of Africa's crises, what major long-term trends they have identified and what long-term strategies they suggest. Some probable future scenarios are then presented with regards to Africa's position in the global system (both economic and political) and other normative scenarios of several probable futures for Africa. Finally the Malaysian experience, its vision and programme to become a developed country by 2020 is discussed briefly as an example for Africans to study carefully and integrate what is useful in their strategies. In preparing for the future, Africa should use the comparative approach, of looking at the experiences of other countries, rather than carry out this important undertaking in isolation. Résumé: L'introduction commence par l'analyse de la préparation de l'avenir. Une telle préparation fait appel à une démarche scientifique sérieuse et met en garde les gouvcrncments des pays africains contre les approches simplistes des consultants qui pretendent etre des “experts” en matiere de “prediction” de l'avenir. Le document passe ensuite brièvement en revue les diverses tentatives faites par des pays africains, et non africains ces trente dernières années, pour préparer l'avenir. Cependant, ces tentatives n'ont pas été mises en oeuvre et ont été noyées par la “culture de la gestion de crises” au cours des quinze années écoulées. Les thèmes et les questions présentés par les participants ont été ensuite examinés pour déterminer les causes qu'ils trouvent à ces crises, les tendances et les stratégies à long terme qu'ils ont identifiées et qu'ils proposent. Quelques scénarii futurs probables ont été ensuite présentés concernant la situation de l'Afrique dans le système économique et politique mondial et d'autres scénarii normatifs de diverses autres probabilités de futur pour l'Afrique. Enfin, le document examine brièvement l'expérience de la Malaisie, sa perception du développemcnt et son programme pour transformer ce pays en un pays dévéloppé d'ici à l'an 2020, comme un exemple que les pays africains pourraient étudier minutieusement pour intégrer à leurs stratégies les aspects qu'ils jugeront utiles. Pour préparer l'avenir, l'Afrique doit utiliser la méthode comparative et s'inspirer de l'expérience d'autres pays plutôt que de mener cette importante entreprise en vase clos.