Gur Ofer

Originally published in 1992, this book provides a detailed analysis of the economics of the Soviet urban household sector during the 1970s. It contains eight studies covering the size and distribution of incomes and wealth, the incidence and causes of poverty, the labour supply of women, division of labour among household members, and saving behaviour. Ofer and Vinokur conclude that socialist achievements in the sphere of economic equality were rather modest. They also show that, even under the peculiar conditions imposed on Soviet households by the socialist system, they responded to economic constraints in a way that is predictable by ordinary Western-type models of household behaviour. It will be an invaluable reference source for specialists of Soviet studies, comparative economics, income distribution and women's studies as well as for government officials and journalists.

"The still chaotic states of the former Soviet Union, a growing China, and the divergent nations of Eastern Europe are striving to radically transform their economies. In their quest to become more integrated with the global economy, they are making historic changes to move toward market-based, private-enterprise systems. In this book, Barry P. Bosworth and Gur Ofer provide a balanced assessment of the progress of integration among the formerly centrally planned economies. So far, the results of the reform process range from amazing success in China to economic and political disarray in the states of the former Soviet Union. The authors outline the key issues that any successful reform program must address and the sequence in which these reforms should take place. A volume of Brookings' Integrating National Economies Series"

This book provides the most detailed analysis to date of the economics of the Soviet urban household sector during the 1970s. It contains eight studies covering the size and distribution of incomes and wealth, the incidence and causes of poverty, the labour supply of women, division of labour among household members, and saving behaviour. All these studies are based on a unique source of information: the returns of retrospective income surveys of Jewish immigrants to Israel and the United States. In each study, Gur Ofer and Aaron Vinokur employ a cross-sectional econometric analysis of data on individual households and in this they are unique among all Western and Soviet authors on the Soviet household sector. Ofer and Vinokur conclude that socialist achievements in the sphere of economic equality were rather modest. They also show that, even under the peculiar conditions imposed on Soviet households by the socialist system, they responded to economic constraints in a way that is predictable by ordinary Western-type models of household behaviour. Although it is essentially an historical study, The Soviet Household under the Old Regime makes an important contribution to current evaluations of the conditions necessary for the smooth transition of the Soviet system. It sheds light on probable changes in household patterns and in entrepreneurship as well as on the refinements needed in the welfare and social security systems. This book will be widely read by students and specialists of Soviet studies, comparative economics, income distribution and women’s studies. It will also be an invaluable reference source for government officials and journalists.

The service sector represents a smaller share of the national economy in the Soviet Union than in other countries at similar levels. This gap is found in trade, in private and business services, and, surprisingly, in public administration. Gur Ofer provides a twofold examination of this phenomenon. He uses cross country comparisons to study the “normal” relationships between the size of the service institutions and economic development. At the same time he investigates specific factors operating in Socialist and Soviet countries, thus uniting the special Soviet case with general development theory.