Kozlova S.V., Bratchenko S.A. (2022). Reforming state property administration mechanisms in the context of new challenges: historical experience of Kosygin reform

S.V. Kozlova

Dr. Sci. (Econ.), leading researcher, Head of the Sector of the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences

S.A. Bratchenko

Cand. Sci. (Econ.), senior researcher at the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences

REFORMING STATE PROPERTY ADMINISTRATION MECHANISMS IN THE CONTEXT OF NEW CHALLENGES: HISTORICAL EXPERIENCE OF KOSYGIN REFORM

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Abstract

The current challenges are so strong and large-scale that they will inevitably entail a structural restructuring of both the Russian economy itself and the mechanisms and tools for administrating state property. First of all, this will affect the management of state-owned enterprises, that is the companies with state participation in capital (not necessarily of 100% one). In the context of current tasks, the role of these enterprises is expected only to increase. At the same time, in our opinion, there is a need to rethink the experience of reforms of the Soviet period while our country existed in an unfriendly environment. But they were the serious challenges that forced us to look for new mechanisms and tools for economic development, remaining within the socialist economic model existing at that time.

The article presents the results of the economic analysis of the so-called Kosygin reform, which was an attempt to introduce self-financing elements under the command and administrative system, to introduce new enterprise management mechanisms, new incentives to increase labor productivity. The work showed that the reform did not bear the expected fruits. It occurred not because it was interrupted for political reasons. It occurred because a number of tasks of the reform (R&D adoption in production, modernization of production, etc.) could not be solved by the reform instruments in principle. In addition, some phenomena of the Soviet economy in the 1970s and 1980s (inflation, commodity deficit, etc.) were in fact an unexpected but natural result of the reform. It is emphasized that a retrospective study of the positive and negative economic results of the reform will help to level out, and even to avoid miscarriages in current state governance reform, primarily in the field of state property administration.

Keywords: state administration, management of state property, management of state enterprises, Kosygin reform, experience of Kosygin reform.

JEL: E65, L51, N14, O20, P21, P27

DOI: https://doi.org/10.52180/2073-6487_2022_2_53_75

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For citations:

Kozlova S.V., Bratchenko S.A. (2022). Reforming state property administration mechanisms in the context of new challenges: historical experience of Kosygin reform // Vestnik Instituta Ekonomiki Rossiyskoy akademii nauk № 2. Pp. 53-75. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.52180/2073-6487_2022_2_53_75

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