ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the following four topics of Soviet regional policy: the occurrence of regional differences in the Soviet Union, the content of political decisions on the distribution of resources, the political decisionmaking process in regional policy, and implementation of decisions in regional policy. There are regional differences in the level of socioeconomic development in the Soviet Union. These differences have persisted over time, and moreover showed no tendency to diminish when the Soviet economy entered a more advanced stage of development in the '70s and '80s. The chapter examines the role of administrative levels lower down the hierarchy in the policymaking process. The lower administrative levels have a considerable influence on the implementation of political decisions. A democratization of the state administration reduces the number of tasks the administrative apparatus must handle but complicates the resolution of those tasks that remain.
