PERESTROIKA' AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION THE USSR
| Author | DAWN OLIVER |
| Published date | 01 December 1988 |
| Date | 01 December 1988 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.1988.tb00703.x |
PERESTROIKA'
AND
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN
THE
USSR
DAWN
OLIVER
The processes of 'glasnost' (openness) and 'perestroika' (restructuring) in the
USSR
have
important implications for public administration. Openness about the defects
of
the system
has led to public debate about the need for reform, especially
of
the bureaucracy, which
has attracted a large share of the blame
for
the current state
of
the economy. One of the
solutions proposed is to 'democratize' the system and encourage workers to participate
in decision-making. Another is the introduction of incentives for more efficient working
practices.
As
from January
1988
economic reforms are directed at reducing the powers
of
bureaucracies operating in state organizations and exposing industry to 'market forces'
soviet-style. Enterprises are to be self-financing. They must at least break even, and may
retain a proportion of profits; however, they will continue to operate within systems
of
state quality, price
and
wage control. Further steps, aimed at improving control
of
the
bureaucracy and enhancing the rights
of
citizens, include a new right to apply
for
'judicial
review'
of
unlawful action by officials.
Since Mikhail Gorbachev came to power as the General Secretary of the Central
Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (the
CPSU)
the legal,
economic and political systems of that country have been exposed to criticism and
proposals for reform. The principal problems confronting Mr Gorbachev in the
economic sphere include scientific and technical backwardness in industry, low
productivity and poor quality production
in
manufacturing and agriculture; and
an inefficient and corrupt bureaucracy.
'Bureaucracy' in the Soviet Union includes management in industry as well as
state and party administration. These bureaucracies have attracted a major share of
the blame for the poor economic performance in the
USSR,
and new conditions
of
economic management
are
being
introduced to reduce the 'bureaucratization' of
the economy. The administration is
also
to be subjected to a greater degree
of
'democratization' and
legal
regulation, and the channels for citizens to challenge
administrative action are being extended.
A
new law provides for 'judicial review'
of unlawful actions by officials which interfere with the rights of citizens.
The rationale for these steps appears to be a desire on the part of the
CPSU
to
subject the administration to a more formal system of control than can
be
achieved
Dawn
Oliver
is
a
Lecturer
in
the
Law
Faculty,
University College, London.
~~ ~~~ ~~
Public Administration
Vol.
66
Winter
(41128)
0
1988
Royal
Institute
of
Public Administration
ISSN
00333298 $3.00
412
DAWN
OLIVER
by informal Party interference in administration, and at the same time to enhance
the legitimacy of the administration and therefore
of
the state in the eyes of the
citizen. The theory
of
participatory democracy that underlies official Soviet consti-
tutional theory is being invoked to overcome resistance to reform from adminis-
trators and from workers, and
so
to give added impetus to the movement for
reform. This theory is manifested, for example, in the encouragement of contested
elections to
Party,
Soviet and managerial posts, and in open discussion of the short-
comings of the present system. Constructive criticism of the operation of the system
(but not of the Marxist-Leninist theory that underlies it) is encouraged by the
Party
leadership in order to prepare public opinion for reform.
In the
USSR,
as in all states, there is a 'dignified
(or
'official') and an 'efficient'
(or
'unofficial') constitution. The first phase of Mr Gorbachev's reform campaign,
'glasnost' (commonly translated as 'openness'), set out to confront the gap between
the two, the myths and the shortcomings of the system. This process involved
the critical assessment of the economy, and preparing the people for reform by
promoting public debate about the defects
of
the system. The media has had an
important role in the conduct of this debate (Wedgwood Benn 1987). The second
stage of the process, upon which the Soviet Union is currently embarking, is
'perestroika' (restructuring), the realization and implementation of decisions taken
during the first stage in the period 1985-7.
The Gorbachev approach to economic problems has its origins in the Brezhnev
era. The
Party
leadership called for openness about some of the defects of the system
and for the media to perform its task of raising public awareness of the need for
reform. There was also at that time discussion of the
use
of contested elections
as a means of making bureaucrats responsive (Hill 1980). Attempts were made
to improve industrial performance by the
use
of contracts and a reduction in detailed
planning (Nove 1986b, chapter 10).
So
the recognition of the need for reform and
the types
of
measure currently proposed are not new. But the new-found realism
about the importance
of
the 'human factor' and the existence
of
'contradictions
of interest' in society,
a
relatively non-doctrinaire, pragmatic approach, and the
skilful public relations exercise undertaken by Mr Gorbachev with a view to
mobilizing support for positive action are novel.
As
a result 'glasnost' and
'perestroika' have, at least in theory, captured the imagination of the population.
Whether popular support for reform will wane once the realities of restructuring
have to be confronted is an open question.
DIAGNOSING
THE
PROBLEM
Contradictions
of
interest
In
the literature on the need to reform the economy attention is currently focused
on what in western terms would be regarded as 'conflicts
of
interest' between
individuals and the state, between group interests, or between individuals
inter
se.
Piskotin (1988b, p. 14) acknowledges, for example, that the bureaucracy is not
simply a disinterested servant of the public. 'Civil servants.
.
.just as any social
group, have their
own
specific interests. The political system therefore faces the
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