Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Add to GoodReads

Many Shades of Red

State Policy and Collective Agriculture

Edited by Mieke Meurs

This volume provides a radical and timely corrective to received wisdom about the seemingly inevitable transition from communism to democratic capitalism. Arguing against popular misconceptions that portray collectivized agriculture as an unqualified failure that followed a monolithic Soviet model, the contributors draw upon newly available local sources to illuminate the costs, benefits, successes, and failures of cooperative agriculture. They highlight the wide variety of state policies, local responses, and economic outcomes, as well as the influence of local geography, political structures, and economic institutions in each region. Meurs provides an institutionalist analysis of both the causes and impacts of policy differences, drawing lessons of continuing relevance to the many countries in which agrarian reform remains a controversial issue.

Contributions by: Victor Danilov, Carmen Diana Deere, Stanka Dobreva, Veska Kouzhouharova, Imre Kovach, Justin Lin, Mieke Meurs, and Niurka Perez.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 260 • Trim: 6¼ x 9¼

978-0-8476-9038-1 • Hardback • February 1999 • $167.00 • (£129.00)

978-0-8476-9039-8 • Paperback • February 1999 • $55.00 • (£42.00)

978-1-4616-0841-7 • eBook • February 1999 • $52.00 • (£40.00)

Subjects: Political Science / Public Policy / Economic Policy

Many Shades of Red

State Policy and Collective Agriculture

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

This volume provides a radical and timely corrective to received wisdom about the seemingly inevitable transition from communism to democratic capitalism. Arguing against popular misconceptions that portray collectivized agriculture as an unqualified failure that followed a monolithic Soviet model, the contributors draw upon newly available local sources to illuminate the costs, benefits, successes, and failures of cooperative agriculture. They highlight the wide variety of state policies, local responses, and economic outcomes, as well as the influence of local geography, political structures, and economic institutions in each region. Meurs provides an institutionalist analysis of both the causes and impacts of policy differences, drawing lessons of continuing relevance to the many countries in which agrarian reform remains a controversial issue.

Contributions by: Victor Danilov, Carmen Diana Deere, Stanka Dobreva, Veska Kouzhouharova, Imre Kovach, Justin Lin, Mieke Meurs, and Niurka Perez.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 260 • Trim: 6¼ x 9¼

978-0-8476-9038-1 • Hardback • February 1999 • $167.00 • (£129.00)

978-0-8476-9039-8 • Paperback • February 1999 • $55.00 • (£42.00)

978-1-4616-0841-7 • eBook • February 1999 • $52.00 • (£40.00)

Subjects: Political Science / Public Policy / Economic Policy

Author

Mieke Meurs is associate professor of economics at American University.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Continuing Importance of Collectivization
Mieke Meurs
Chapter 2: Russia: Developing, then Crushing, Peasant Farming
Victor Danilov
Chapter 3: Bulgaria: From Cooperative Village to Agro-Industrial Complex, The Rise and Fall of Collective Agriculture
Mieke Meurs, Veska Kouzhouharova, and Rositsa Stoyanova
Chapter 4: Hungary: Cooperative Farms and Household Plots
Imre Kovach
Chapter 5: China: Farming Institutions and Rural Development
Justin Lin
Chapter 6: Cuba: Successful Voluntary Collectivization
Carmen Diana Deere and Niurka Perez
Chapter 7: Conclusion: Looking Forward
Mieke Meurs

Reviews

The volume succeeds brilliantly in showing the diverse experiences with collective agriculture. The book is essential reading for anyone interested in agricultural policy, and for scholars and practitioners of rural development.
— Eastern Economic Journal

I found many interesting ideas and materials in this collection.
— Frederic L. Pryor, Swarthmore College; Slavic Review

Many Shades of Red

State Policy and Collective Agriculture

Edited by Mieke Meurs

Many Shades of Red

State Policy and Collective Agriculture

ALSO AVAILABLE