The purpose of this research is to analyze decision-making by high level plant managers and economic administrators and bureaucrats in the Soviet Union. Three sources of information will be utilized for this analysis-- a structured survey of 582 high-level government officials responsible for economic matters, 120 in-depth interviews with high level administrators, and a survey of 1500 Soviet enterprise managers. The investigator will use this survey data to study the resource allocation practices of the Soviet economic bureaucracy, bureaucratic procedures, and changes in these practices wrought by Soviet economic reform. This research is extremely important for the development of empirical knowledge about the Soviet economy. Evidence of high level Soviet managerial perceptions of their role in the Soviet economic system and the functioning of that system will provide a basis for evaluating existing theories and models. Moreover, evidence of their perceptions of the changes under Perestroika will add to the empirical base for the analysis of Perestroika.
