ABSTRACT
The development of a new Soviet model of economic growth has been accompanied by an evolution of Soviet attitudes and institutions related to the absorption of foreign technology. In reviewing the changes in this realm, it is important to keep in mind that, in the Soviet Union as elsewhere, such evolution seldom moves forward in an uninterrupted straight line. Changes in Soviet institutional arrangements for borrowing technology have reflected a central dilemma for Soviet policy makers. On the one hand, there has been a perceived need to protect Soviet citizens from alien ideas and to maintain the economic and technological independence of the Soviet economy. On the other hand, they have valued the potential economic benefits of absorbing Western technology. The central institution in the Soviet Union’s efforts to borrow foreign technology has been the foreign trade monopoly administered by the Ministry of Foreign Trade.
