Taking the measure of Gorbachev's reforms: A case study

The many changes taking place in the USSR means that Sovietologists must take a new look at individual policy areas targeted for reform by the Soviet leadership in order to judge the potential for general reform. This requires a more forward-looking model of the Soviet political system. This thesis uses Timothy Colton's model of moderate reform to measure the extent of reform taking place in Soviet labor and trade union policy. It finds that Colton's model is a definite improvement over other available approaches, although it is still in need of some refinement. Nevertheless, the labor case study is found to be a good one by which to measure Soviet reform progress; it supports Colton's prediction that the Soviet leadership has generally settled on a course of moderate reform in the Soviet Union.