The Vanishing Rouble : Barter Networks and Non-monetary Transactions in Post-Soviet Societies / ed. P. Seabright. - Cambridge ; New York ; Melbourne : Cambridge University Press, 2000. - xviii, 383 p. - ISBN 978-0-521-79542-5.
A remarkable and unexpected product of the transition from central planning to the market economy in former Soviet societies has been the explosive growth of barter on an industrial scale - the exchange of all kinds of goods from aero-engines to potatoes to mining equipment, and the resort to payment in goods in settlement of debts. This is not only a strange and puzzling phenomenon in itself - running counter as it does to widespread expectations that the market economy would lead to increased use of monetary transactions in reasonably transparent markets. It also casts an intriguing light on the functions money performs in the more normal circumstances of a modem market economy. This volume brings together an unparalleled array of evidence from surveys and ethnographic accounts, as well as the theoretical tools of leading writers in economics, sociology and anthropology. It will be valuable reading for any social scientist wanting to understand what can go wrong when a planned economy tries to introduce money and markets without getting the basic conditions right.