'Subsistence Rate' as a Soviet Analytical Category: Between Ideological Commitments and Economic Realities (1960–1980s)

• In Event: Social Histories of Money in Socialism: The GDR, Hungary, and the USSR

Abstract

This paper examines how Soviet planners, sociologists, and economists attempted to define the concept of "subsistence rate" within the ideological and practical constraints of the USSR. Unlike the Western "subsistence rate," which primarily quantified the minimum income required for survival, the Soviet approach aimed at articulating a "minimal level of material provision" that aligned with the ideological framework of socialism. This level, termed the "sufficient budget" (buidzhet dostatka), was designed to satisfy the rational needs of all citizens, ensuring that even low-income families could maintain consumption patterns comparable to the societal norm. On the one hand, these efforts reflected broader international trends toward development of universal welfare. On the other hand, it was framed by the ideological denial of the existence of poverty in the USSR. By analyzing scientific studies and reports, this paper explores how Soviet experts navigated the tension between ideological commitments and economic realities.

Author

• Anna Ivanova, Humboldt U Berlin (Germany)