The Soviet Union and Its Planning Process

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The soviet union had a planned economy. A lot of work went into crafting the five year plans and insuring that the economy was able to deliver, you know, the goods and things like that that people needed. But as you explained, the planning process certainly was not perfect. There were issues in that process. So can you talk a bit about the difficulties involved in planning soviet economy on the local, regional and national levels? Absolutely. I mean, i think the key point here is it's really a story about how we go about delegating demand and desire at the same time,. It's also a story about the technological supports that we use to navigate and negotiate those

Paris Marx is joined by Benjamin Peters to discuss the proposals for national computer networks in the Soviet Union, the challenges they faced in getting approval, and what lessons they hold for how we think about networks.

Benjamin Peters is the author of “How Not to Network a Nation: The Uneasy History of the Soviet Internet” and the co-editor of “Your Computer Is On Fire.” He’s also the Hazel Rogers Associate Professor at the University of Tulsa and affiliated faculty at Yale Law School. Follow Ben on Twitter as @bjpeters.

Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.

Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.

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