The New Soviet Cooperatives: Advances and Limitations

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Abstract
A new Soviet law on cooperatives was drafted in March 1988, and approved in May of that year. This paper discusses changing Soviet attitudes to cooperatives, whose 'immense potential' is now acknowledged, and analyses changes in both draft and law. Considerable progress has been made in opening up new sectors of activity, reducing bureaucratic obstacles, liberalizing prices and incomes and introducing members' 'shares'. However, access to resources is still either administratively controlled or particularly expensive; members' claims to capital gains are restricted; cost-based prices conflict with market-clearing. The continuous alternation of privileged and punitive treatment is destroying the potential contribution of cooperatives to perestroika.

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