Eastern Europe as a Source of High-Technology Imports for Soviet Economic Modernization

This report assesses the potential for Eastern Europe to provide the high-technology products necessary to further the modernization of the Soviet economy. It examines both traditional trade in high-technology products as well as recent measures to encourage integrated and cooperative technology development within the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA). The author (1) discusses the institutional setting for CMEA trade and for cooperation in developing high-technology goods, (2) analyzes the results of the CMEA science and technology program by examining the number and nature of agreements signed to date and considers the barriers to more extensive contacts, (3) examines trade in four specific high-technology commodities to determine how exports to the Soviet Union have shifted during the late 1980s, and (4) considers how extensive East European deliveries of these goods are likely to be in the future, and how likely they are to prove a significant source for satisfying Soviet needs.