Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Perestroĭka, Social Justice And Public Opinion, David S. Mason, Svetlana Sydorenko

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

In its struggle to reform, the Soviet leadership faces a major dilemma in attempting to reconcile economic efficiency with a commitment to social justice. The economic reforms of perestroika call for a greater role for market mechanisms and even private enterprise. However, these policies often run up against a public opinion that is staunchly egalitarian. Public attitudes that are, on the one hand, critical of elite privileges and distrustful of the state distributive apparatus are also, on the other hand, supponive of centralized distribution of resources, limitations on high incomes, and restrictions on private propeny.

The issue of social justice …