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The recent collapse of so‐called socialist economies has raised fundamental questions about whether a socialist economy could be built on imported capitalism. Russia′s socialist development was based, from the beginning, on Western capitalist technology from the time of its introduction in the late nineteenth century; the manner of this attempt may account for socialism′s premature demise. Could a socialist system be built in an economy that has not undergone a sufficient capitalist transformation? Lenin′s New Economic Policy is regarded by some as the step intended to fulfil this condition. But before it had reached its mature phase, Stalin′s “Industry First Approach” with the help of technology from mature capitalist economies, but of course under strict socialist control of production and distribution, misled the direction of the socialist transformation of Russian society. Will socialist economic development with imported technology inevitably end up in a free enterprise economy, as is happening in the Soviet Union? Discusses these questions beginning with an analysis of the three stages of socialist development attempted in the USSR, with a brief review of sources of technological change, and ending with the causes behind the return of a socialist economy to a market economy.

Until very recently an immense USSR comprised fifteen republics. Now the three Baltic states are free of Moscow's direction, and an independent Ukraine has joined Belarus and the former Russian Soviet Federated Republic (RSFSR) as the hub in a commonwealth of former republics that have declared themselves independent or “sovereign,” but federated through agreements based on economics or defense considerations. Whether one concentrates on the story of Baltic freedom following the abortive 1991 coup, the subsequent dissolution of central governmental power, or the lasting enmities among some of the peoples in Central Asia and the Caucasus, the pivot around which this new interest or heightened curiosity turns is the recent great change within the late Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Examines the sources and implications of Mikhail Gorbachev′s policies insofar as they have been policies of liberalization. It is principally argued that Marxism has been a Western phenomenon and thereby a vehicle for the export of Western Enlightenment values to Third World countries but also to the Soviet Union itself. The nature and role of Marx′s analyses are considered in that light. So also are the status of nationalism in the USSR, the historical meaning and promise of socialism, the role of the legal‐economic nexus in the social reconstruction of reality in the USSR and in Central and Eastern Europe, the relevance to those developments of the emerging new European and world systems, and the relevance of all these for social economics.

Describes the environment for management education in the former USSR, a topic hitherto receiving limited treatment in Western management literature. Having placed Soviet management education in the general context of glasnost and perestroika, attention focuses on key developments since the creation of the USSR′s first business school in July 1988 to launch the re‐education of up to 14 million technocrats and officials. A short discussion of the curriculum and orientation of one Moscow‐based management centre follows. Highlights certain stumbling‐blocks in the further development of management education, which involves ever greater participation by Western partners: the problem of communicating management concepts into Russian/post‐Soviet terms of reference and Western management educators′ limited appreciation of the psychology of Russians.

An analysis is given of the present situation regarding PCB production in six independent states of the former USSR. The distinctive characteristics of the PCB industry under the command‐administrative system which existed until 1991 are outlined. Production capacities of PCB manufacturers and production volumes for 1989–1993 are analysed. An important feature of the market is PCB complexity. The fact that the majority of companies are equipped with domestically produced machinery creates drawbacks. The paper concludes with some proposals for action to increase the efficiency and competitiveness of printed circuit board production in the western part of the former USSR.

This paper discusses the potential and responsibility of the Reference Librarian to contribute a polycentric perspective to information seekers. Because our society is essentially monolingual, library users and librarians alike tend to be ethnocentric in their retrieval and digestion of information. However, through the judicious use of foreign materials in English translation our monolingual society and the narrowness that it breeds could be remediated, if not overcome.

In the USSR industrial robots (automatic manipulators) are considered to be one of the most important means of achieving complex industrial automation. They provide a means for human emancipation from dangerous, hard and boring labour and solution to the problem of the more efficient use of labour resources. At present the programs for development, production and application of industrial robots are being implemented in the Soviet Union on the basis of a state integrated 5‐year plan covering the key branches of industry and involving the Academy of Sciences and Higher Educational Institutions. A second similar program will be completed by 1980. It is based on the principle of central state unification of the major components of robots, a series of standard sizes and consequently the development of robot‐equipped standard technological complexes. Simultaneously, research is being carried on in the development of the next generation of robot devices. Some other aspects of the problem are also being investigated including the development of methods for evaluating the economic efficiency of robot application as well as social aspects and training of personnel.

The article discusses the commonalities and differences between the Soviet Union and China in the evolution of the philosophy and practical policy vis‐a‐vis joint ventures with the West. The comparative study is set against the background of the ongoing reform in both countries which seeks to integrate Soviet and Chinese economies into the world economic community. It is emphasised that the terms, impact on the overall economic situation, and prospects of joint ventures with the West in the USSR and China, are determined by the scale, scope and consistency of the implemented reforms which, in their turn, are dependent to a certain extent on the results of business co‐operation with Western firms.

Demonstrates how existing Soviet published sources into the capital goods market can be used to provide a fairly comprehensive picture of likely import requirements. Explores the literature concentrating on the data for metalcutting machinery in order to provide information on planned industrial targets, previous levels of imports and the present state of Soviet technology.Suggests that this desk research provides general guidelines that must be supplemented by information from direct contact with prospective Soviet buyers.