Urban inequalities under state socialism

This book is the first theoretical account, in the tradition of the 'new urban sociology', of urban inequalities under actual state socialism in Eastern Europe. It initially attempts to clarify the concept of the socialist city and then specifically investigates empirically-observable inequalities in the urban housing system and inequalities in terms of access to scarce urban resources under state socialism.

Professor Szelenyi argues that the inequalities observed cannot be explained solely by the capitalist past of these cities and shows that new types of inequalities are emerging in the epoch of state socialism which are strikingly different from those of market capitalism. Under capitalism the main inequalities are created by market forces, somewhat modified and moderated by the redistributive intervention of the state. Under state socialism the main inequalities are the results of administrative allocation of scarce resources with the urban poor having to rely on market forces to improve their position.

The book stands as a critical assessment of Eastern European socialist institutions, written by an East European who was employed by an East European government, with the intention of promoting progressive social change. It should be of interest to all economists, sociologists, urban geographers, and students of the USSR and Eastern Europe.