The Soviet Economy on the Brink of Reform: Essays in Honor of Alec Nove; Reorganization and Reform in the Soviet Economy

Both these volumes look at the Soviet economy at the time of Gorbachev's first burst of reform talk, before his program had really taken shape or passed any major tests. They take up many of the same topics (investment decisions, industrial performance, plan versus market, agriculture) but not always from similar viewpoints. The essays in the Linz-Moskoff book are generally skeptical of the Soviet regime's ability to make the radical changes necessary to rescue the economy. Those in the volume edited by Peter Wiles are more specialized and demonstrate a high level of analysis as well as an understanding of how the Soviet economy works in practice. One especially interesting paper is a critique of the CIA's estimates of the Soviet economy.