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Committee Decision Making in the Soviet Union

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2011

Ellen Jones
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Abstract

Most Soviet committees, from Politburo to local government executive committee, use procedures designed to encourage broad organizational participation in policy making. These procedures help to minimize capricious policy making and ensure the cooperation of officials responsible for implementing policy. Most importantly, the broad representation of institutional interests in collegial forums reflects the need for institutional checks and balances. The cost of committee procedures is inefficiency. Committee decision making also tends to produce policy that works well in an era of economic prosperity and international stability, but less well during periods of economic shortfall or foreign crisis.

Type
Research Article
Information
World Politics , Volume 36 , Issue 2 , January 1984 , pp. 165 - 188
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Copyright © Trustees of Princeton University 1984

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References

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21 On representation of republic ministries in national-level ministerial collegia, see Da-vitnidze (fn. 16), 65–70.

22 “Polozheniye o ministerstve zdravookhraneniye,” July 17, 1968, Sobraniye postanovleniye pravitelstva SSSR (No. 14, 1968), 350–57; “Polozheniye o ministerstve meditsinskoy pro-myshlennosti,” ibid. (No. 12, 1968), 282–88. See also Kal'yu, P. I., Nekotoryye voprosy teorii i praktiki upravleniya zdravookhraneniyem [Some Questions of the Theory and Practice of Health Administration] (Moscow: Meditsina, 1969), 121.Google Scholar

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25 Ibid., 61–62.

26 Kozlov, Yu. M., ed., Pravovoye polozheniye ministerstv SSSR [Legal Status of USSR Ministries] (Moscow: Yuridicheskaya Literatura, 1971), 47.Google Scholar On this point, see also Davitnidze (fn. 16), 59; Yershov, V. N., “K voprosu o pravovom regulirovanii deyatelnosti ministerstv” [To the Question of Legal Regulation of Ministry Activity] Sovestskoye gosudarstvo i pravo (No. 3, 1967), 13–22Google Scholar; Yu. M. Kozlov, “Sootnosheniye kollegialnosti i yedinonachaliya v sovetskom gosudarstvennom upravlenii na sovremennom etape” [Correlation of Collegiality and One-Man Command in Soviet State Administration at the Present Stage], ibid. (No. 2, 1964), 24–34.

27 On principles governing economic planning in socialist systems, see Bor, M. Z. and Lukina, G. V., eds., Planirovaniye narodnogo khozyaystvo SSSR [Planning the USSR State Economy] (Moscow: Vysshaya Shkola, 1980), 5–34.Google Scholar On planning by administrative agencies, see Azovkin, I. A., “Politicheskiye printsipy gosudarstvennogo upravleniya” [Political Principles of State Administration] Apparat upravleniya sotsialisticheskogo gosudarstva [Administrative Apparatus of the Socialist Government], Part 1 (Moscow: Yuridicheskaya Literatura, 1976), 109–52Google Scholar, and R. Venkh and Sh. Yelovitskiy, “Planirovaniye raboty v organe gosudarstvennogo upravleniya” [Planning Work in State Administrative Agencies], ibid., Part 2 (Moscow: Yuridicheskaya Literatura, 1977), 273–84.

28 On rules governing Politburo agendas, see Löwenhardt (fn. 17), 90–95. The discussion of agenda building in ministry collegia is based primarily on Davitnidze (fn. 16), 122–28.

29 Material on agenda building in local government executive committees is available in Butko, I. F. and others, Ispolnitelnyy komitet mestnogo soveta narodnykh deputatov (Problemy sovershenstvovaniya organizatsii deyatelnosti) [Local Council Executive Committee] (Kiev: Naukova Dumka, 1980), 222–24, 284–91Google Scholar; Baymakhanov, M. T. and others, Gosudarstvenno-pravovoy status oblastnykh sovetov Kazakhskoy SSR [State-Legal Status of Oblast Councils in Kazakhstan] (Alma Ata: Izdatelstvo ‘Nauka’ Kazakhskoy SSR, 1976), 319–31Google Scholar; Popova, S. M., Organizatsiya raboty v ispolkomakh mestnykh sovetov [Organization of Work in Local Government Executive Committees] (Moscow: Yuridicheskaya Literatura, 1976), 72–84Google Scholar; Nagornaya, M. A., Planirovaniye raboty mestnykh sovetov [Planning Work of Local Councils] (Moscow: Yuridicheskaya Literatura, 1977), 20–21, 26–27Google Scholar; Tkachenko, N. G., Ispolnitelnyy komitet rayonnogo, gorodskogo sovrta [The Executive Committee of the Rayon and City Council] (Moscow: Yuridicheskaya Literatura, 1973), 30–43Google Scholar; Demochkin, N. N., Vlast naroda, For-mirovaniye, sostav i deyatelnost sovetov v ushviyakh razvitogo sotsializma [Power of the People. The Formation, Composition and Activity of Councils under Conditions of Developed Socialism] (Moscow: Mysl, 1979), 234–35Google Scholar; and Starovoytov, N. G., Reglament soveta i yego ispolkoma [Regulations of the Council and Its Executive Committee] (Moscow: Yuridicheskaya Literatura, 1982), 49–61.Google Scholar

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32 This description of the formulation of meeting plans in ministry collegia is based on Davitnidze (fn. 16), 122–28.

33 Baymakhanov (fn. 29), 323–24. See also “Reglament raboty apparata ispolnitelnogo komiteta moskovskogo oblastnogo soveta deputatov trudyashchikhsya,” March 3, 1977, in Sovety naraodnykh deputatov. Status. Kompetentsiya. Organizatsiya deyatelnosti [Councils of Peoples' Deputies. Status. Competence. Organization of Activity] (Moscow: Yuridicheskaya Literatura, 1980), 265–76.

34 On review of executive committee agenda plans by the regional Party apparatus, see Dmitriyev, A. V., Sekretar ispolkoma rayonnogo, gorodskogo soveta [Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Rayon or City Council] (Moscow: Yuridicheskaya Literatura, 1976), 24–26Google Scholar; Paputin, V., “Partiynoye rukovodstvo sovetami” [Party Direction of Soviets] in Sovershenstvovat rabotu sovetov deputatov trudyashchikhsya [Improve Work of Councils of Workers' Deputies] (Moscow: Izvestiya, 1970), 202–18Google Scholar; Barabashev, G. V., ed., Ispolnitelnyy komitet mestnogo Soveta narodnikh deputatov: Pravovoye polozheniye. Osnovy organizatsii i deyatelnosti [The Executive Committee of the Local Council] (Moscow: Yuridicheskaya Literatura, 1983), 70–71Google Scholar; and Gryaznov and Vinogradov (fn. 19), 104–05.

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36 The controversy generated by acceptance of commission decisions is a commonplace in Soviet administrative literature. See, for example, Ekonomicheskaya gazeta (No. 6, 1982), 24.

37 The most comprehensive data on the subjects covered at ministry collegium meetings are provided in Davitnidze (fn. 16), 72–111. For specifics on the breakdown of items on the Ministry of Heavy, Energy, and Transport Machine Building, see pp. 86, 94, 102, 106, and 110. On issues covered by the Turkmenistan Ministry of Agriculture Collegium, see Tyllayev, M., “Organizatsiya raboty ministerstva selskogo khozyaystva soyuznoy respubliki” [Organization of Work of a Republic Ministry of Agriculture] Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta (Pravo) (No. 4, 1975), 62–68.Google Scholar

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39 “Ob organizatsii raboty v sovete ministrov SSSR,” USSR Council of Ministers' resolution, May 4, 1955, excerpted in Svod zakonov [Code of Laws], Vol. 1, 643–46 (author's translation). See also “Ob organizatsii raboty v sovete ministrov kazakhskoy SSR,” June 4, 1955, excerpted in Spravochnik sovetskogo rabotnika [Handbook of the Government Worker] (Alma Ata: Kazakhskoye Gosudarstvennoye Izdatelstvo, 1962), 14–17.

40 Krasnaya zvezda, December 11, 1982, p. 1; Pravda, December 17, 1982, p. 1; January 1, 1983, p. 1; January 15, 1983, p. 1; January 21, 1983, p. 1; January 29, 1983, p. 1; February 4, 1983, p. 1; February 13, 1983, p. 1; February 18, 1983, p. 1; February 25, 1983; p. 1; March 4, 1983, p. 1; March 11, 1983, p. 1; March 25, 1983, p. 1; April 2, 1983, p. 1; April 9, 1983, p. 1; April 15, 1983, p. 1; April 22, 1983, p. 1; April 30, 1983, p. 1; May 14, 1983, p. 1; May 20, 1983, p. 1; May 27, 1983, p. 1; June 11, 1983, p. 1; June 25, 1983, p. 1; July 1, 1983, p. 1; July 9, 1983, p. 1; July 16, 1983, p. 1; July 30, 1983, p. 1; August 6, 1983, p. 1; August 13, 1983, p. 1; August 20, 1983, p. 1; August 27, 1983, p. 1; September 3, 1983, p. 1. Historical material on Politburo operations is drawn from Löwenhardt (fn. 17), 93–95.

41 See, for example, “O poryadke podgotovki proyektov, resheniy i rasporyazheniy ispolkoma mossoveta,” October 19, 1964, Byulleten ispolnitelnogo komiteta moskovskogo gorodskogo soveta deputatov trudyashchikhsya (No. 21, 1964), 8–10, and Shekhovtsov, V. A., “Sovershenstvovaniye podgotovki zasedaniy ispolnitelnykh komitetov krayevykh, oblastnykh sovetov” [lmprovement of Meeting Preparation of Executive Committees in Krays and Oblasts], Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta, Series 11 (Pravo) (No. 5, 1982), 63–69.Google Scholar

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44 Likhova, N. V., “Organizatsiya rabot po sozdaniyu obyedineniy v otrasli,” [Organization of Work for Creation of Associations in a Branch] in Organizatsiya upravleniya [Organization of Administration] (Moscow: Ekonomika, 1973), 107–16.Google Scholar

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46 Smirtyukov (fn. 38), 183–84, 188–89.

47 Material on the conduct of ministry collegium meetings was drawn from Davitnidze (fn. 16), 128–51. On local government executive committee meetings, see Baymakhanov, (fn. 29), 323–26Google Scholar; Butko (fn. 29), 284–86; “Reglament raboty …” (fn. 33), section III; Barabashev and Sheremet (fn. 7), 331–37; Tkachenko (fn. 29), 44–55; Volkov, N. A., Ispolnitelnyy apparat mestnykh sovetov deputatov trudyashchikhsya (Osnovnyye voprosy organizatsii i deyatelnosti) [Executive Apparatus of Local Councils] (Kazan: Izdatelstvo Kazanskogo Universiteta, 1968), 47–49.Google Scholar On Council of Ministers Presidium meetings, see Smirtyukov (fn. 38), 188–89.

48 Pravda, March 11, 1983, p. 1.

49 Löwenhardt (fn. 17), 98–102.

50 Shabad (fn. 43).

51 Ageyeva, Ye. A., Formy upravlencheskoy deyatelnosti ispolkomov mestnykh sovetov [Forms of Administrative Activity of Local Council Executive Committees] (Moscow: Yuridiche-skaya Literatura, 1973), 35Google Scholar; translation by the present author.

52 On the “right of appeal” of members of the VPO councils of directors, see “Ob utverzhdenii obshchevo polozheniya o vsesoyuznom i respublikanskom promyshlennykh obyedineniyakh” [On Ratification of the General Regulations on All-Union and Republic Industrial Associations], March 2, 1973, in Resheniya partii i pravitelstva po khozyaystvennym voprosam [Decisions of the Party and Government on Economic Questions] Vol. IX (Moscow: Politizdat, 1974), 427–59. The relevant articles are Nos. 24–27. On the “reklama” rights of Military Council members, see “O voyennykh sovetakh sovetskoy armii i voyenno-morskogo flota,” [On Military Councils of the Soviet Army and Fleet], April 17, 1958, in KPSS o vooruzhennykh silakh sovetskogo soyuza. Dokumenty 1917–1968 [CPSU on the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union. Documents 1917–1968] (Moscow: Voyenizdat, 1969), 353, and Yepishev, A. A., ed., KPSS i voyennoye stroitelstvo [CPSU and Military Development] (Moscow: Voyenizdat, 1982), 154–63.Google Scholar

53 Hough (fn. 2), 5.