In a little over a decade after the 1917 Revolution, the Soviet Union vaulted from a mostly agrarian economy to an industrial power. By 1940, overall industrial output was several times its late-19
Political Crisis Without an Economic Cost?
This text is a slightly expanded conclusion of my article “Politička kriza bez ekonomske cene?”, originally published in Serbian on Peščanik. The full version (in Serbian) is available here:
“Getting More Than They Earned”? Reflections on Safronov’s Great Soviet Economy
In my most recent project on Serbia’s Productivity and Wage Dynamics, I analyzed the long-term relationship between real wages and labor productivity, demonstrating that despite periods of wage g
When the Economy Turns Against the Regime: Crisis and the Authoritarian Order
In a previous article, I analyzed the economic consequences of the protests. As I noted (and the figures for the first quarter of this year, published by the Statistical Office of the Republic, cle
From Billions to Trillions to Traps: Rethinking Development Finance from the Periphery
The failure of the “billions to trillions” agenda is not just a technical shortfall — it reflects deeper structural imbalances in global finance. While MDBs continue to mobilize capital throu
UN Reform at a Crossroads: Merge, Shrink, or Rebuild?
A crisis response or a structural reboot? The recent Reuters report titled “Exclusive: UN eyes big overhaul amid funding crisis, internal memo shows” reveals that the United Nations is contempl
Introduction to Yugoslavia (Uvod u Jugoslaviju), by Dejan Jović
Introduction History knows several Yugoslavias: the monarchy before World War II, the socialist federation (1945-1991), and the “rump Yugoslavia” (1992-2006). It is the second Yugoslavi
No Enemies of Capital Here: Why Trump Isn’t Leading a Socialist Revolution
Wealth destruction, a universal feature of social revolutions Branko Milanovic, a prominent inequality scholar and former lead economist at the World Bank, recently posted on X: “Every socialist
Who’s Afraid of Tolstoy? On Propaganda, Memory, and Minority Rights
Ashkelon: A city of diversity in a geopolitical crossroad Each time I visit Ashkelon in Israel, I am struck by its remarkable diversity. Few places can match its rich cultural and ethnic mix: East
From Hemlines to Heels: Can Fashion Trends Predict Economic Cycles?
There are many indicators of economic activity and the overall state of the economy. The best known is Gross Domestic Product (GDP)—even if this indicator is far from uncontroversial, as I have a