Military market places display obvious inefficiencies under most arrangements, but the Soviet defense market was unusual for its degree of monopoly, exclusive relationships, and intense scrutiny (in its formative years) by a harsh dictator. This provided the setting for quality versus quantity...

Military market places display obvious inefficiencies under most arrangements, but the Soviet defense market was unusual for its degree of monopoly, exclusive relationships, intensely scrutinized (in its formative years) by a harsh dictator. This provided the setting for quality versus quantity...

The implementation of his decisions is one of dictator’s main concerns. The dictator knows that his orders may fail to be carried out because agents behave opportunistically, or because his orders contain mistakes, or both. The dictator is informed about which of his orders are implemented or...

The paper examines the control system that Stalin established, as the Soviet dictator, to enforce his orders. Historical records demonstrate that Stalin designed the system’s scope, organisation, and credentials to maximise its cost-effectiveness. On several occasions Stalin deliberately...

We examine the value of a statistical life (VSL) in interwar Soviet Union. Our approach requires addressing the preferences of Stalin. We model these on the basis of the policy of statistical repression, which was an integral part of the Great Terror. We use regional variation in the victims...