Quantitative Work with Soviet Economic Statistics: Uses, Abuses, and Ways Forward for Researchers

• In Event: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Soviet Statistical Records as a Source: Uses and Methodological Challenges

Abstract

Soviet economic statistics are widely mistrusted for two reasons. First, statistical reporting was prone to deliberate falsifications at different levels of the planning hierarchy. Second, even if they were technically accurate, Soviet economic data are difficult to evaluate conceptually given the challenges in translating volumes at plan prices to market values. I will outline two cases in which these concerns can be mitigated. First, the use of mirrored data from internal trade transactions provides a way to work with information that originates from two sources (importer and exporter) that can be cross-checked for reliability. Second, I discuss how geocoded data on factory output and workforce numbers can be meaningfully compared to similar statistics from market economies.

Author

• Marvin Suesse, Trinity College Dublin (Ireland)