An economic theory of the Soviet system

Maxime Menuet and Antoine Parent

Journal of Mathematical Economics, 2025, vol. 118, issue C

Abstract: The sudden collapse of the Soviet regime is one of the most enigmatic historical events explored in the social sciences. In this paper, we propose a macrodynamic theory of the Soviet economy that provides theoretical foundations for understanding its collapse. Our model features three actors: workers (the people) who can revolt, natchalnik (the supervisor of firms) who controls a defense-industry firm, and the apparatchik (a member of the communist party and administration) who both extracts production for personal uses and acts as a central planner. We analyze the conditions for the Soviet regime’s sustainability or collapse. Our theory identifies three channels leading to the collapse: internal contradictions within the elite, conflicts between the workforce and the administrative-command structure, and corruption among the elite.

Keywords: Soviet regime; Macroeconomic dynamics; Corruption; Soviet collapse (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:mateco:v:118:y:2025:i:c:s0304406825000321

DOI: 10.1016/j.jmateco.2025.103115

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