ABSTRACT
The decisive bottleneck in the intensification of the Soviet economy lies in the so-called "transfer of scientific findings into practice." This represents a continuous theme of Soviet self-criticism. Practice has shown sufficiently that the mechanisms of the market economy are more flexible and effective in this transfer so that, all efforts notwithstanding, Soviet technology and economics cannot keep up with the Western industrialized countries in regard to a wide-ranging degree of modernity. The evaluation of Soviet primary sources on natural science and technology is possible only in narrowly restricted sectors. From a scientific-technological perspective, the broad sector of data processing and modern communications systems assumes a central role in the Soviet economy's modernization process. By means of a comprehensive promotion of education, scientific personnel, and research establishments, the Soviet Union is striving for large-scale autarchy in the area of science and technology.
