Soviet National Income 1958-1964: National Accounts of the USSR in the Seven Year Plan period

Soviet National Income,1958–1964: National Accounts of the USSR in the Seven Year Plan Period by Abraham S. Becker offers a rigorous reconstruction and analysis of Soviet national income during a critical juncture in postwar economic history, using the Soviet National Income and Product (SNIP) accounting framework pioneered by Abram Bergson and colleagues. It provides a comprehensive portrait of the Soviet economy under Khrushchev, highlighting the difficulties of valuation in a command economy and the adjustments necessary to approximate factor cost and constant-price measures. The results reveal both the ambitions and contradictions of the Seven Year Plan era, with growth slowing markedly compared to the rapid postwar decades, per capita gains narrowing, and agricultural stagnation undermining official targets. Investment continued at high rates but yielded diminishing returns, reflected in rising capital-output ratios. Comparative chapters situate Soviet performance within broader international trends, contrasting consumption, investment, and structural change with those of Western economies. The study concludes that the economic retardation of the SYP years was not merely cyclical but symptomatic of deeper inefficiencies in Soviet planning and valuation practices, setting the stage for the hesitant reforms of the mid-1960s.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 626 pages
Publication date: 27 May 2022
Publisher: University of California Press

Soviet National Income,1958–1964: National Accounts of the USSR in the Seven Year Plan Period by Abraham S. Becker offers a rigorous reconstruction and analysis of Soviet national income during a critical juncture in postwar economic history. Using the Soviet National Income and Product (SNIP) accounting framework pioneered by Abram Bergson and colleagues, Becker presents independently compiled accounts for each year of 1958–1964 and for the plan year 1965 as originally envisioned in the Seven Year Plan (SYP). By reworking household income and expenditure flows, public sector financing, investment, and capital-output relationships, the study provides a comprehensive portrait of the Soviet economy under Khrushchev. Central to the analysis are the difficulties of valuation in a command economy—distorted prices, turnover taxes, subsidies, and agricultural price disparities—and the adjustments necessary to approximate factor cost and constant-price measures. These methodological refinements allow Becker to chart growth trends, resource allocation, and structural change with unusual precision, while also probing the limits of Soviet statistical transparency. The results reveal both the ambitions and contradictions of the Seven Year Plan era. Growth slowed markedly compared to the rapid postwar decades, with per capita gains narrowing and agricultural stagnation undermining official targets. Military expenditures remained significant, though their accounting was obscured by budgetary categories. Investment continued at high rates but yielded diminishing returns, reflected in rising capital-output ratios. By juxtaposing ex ante SYP goals with ex post outcomes, Becker highlights the gap between Soviet planners' aspirations and economic realities, showing how policy adjustments were made to address these disparities. The study also sheds light on the role of foreign trade in Soviet economic development, highlighting the importance of exports and imports in sustaining growth and addressing external imbalances. Overall, Soviet National Income,1958–1964 provides a valuable contribution to our understanding of the Soviet economy during a period of significant change and transformation.

Weight: 953g
Dimension: 234 x 156 x 36 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520321533