Aron Katsenelinboigen (b. 1927) was, from 1966 to 1973, head of Department of Complex Systems at Central Economic Mathe? matical Institute of USSR. From 1970 to 1973, he also was pro? fessor of economics at Moscow State University. He currently is re? search professor at University of Pennsylvania and increasingly is becoming known among western comparativists, Soviet specialists in particular. Studies in Soviet Economic Planning1 is a collection of essays united (as author sees it) by idea of economic invariants (features common to all economic systems and preserved during transformation from one system into another [pp. 3-4]) and by theme of suitability of optimal planning techniques for problems of pricing and adjustment (coordination). Along way, Katsen? elinboigen presents an interpretation of schools of Soviet economic thought, types of markets in USSR, problems of theory and prac? tice in Soviet economic planning, and role of power, power play, and psychology therein. The book apparently was written in Russian and then translated. There seem to be some lapses in translation, with awkward passages and sentence structure and some ambiguous content, but author and translator are unusually effective in ex? pressing substance, premises, and implications of various program? ming techniques. The first three chapters treat some general problems in develop? ment of Soviet economic science. Chapter 1, on methodological prob? lems in study of Soviet economics, recognizes difference be? tween systemic structure and mechanism of its functioning and stipulates that book will concentrate upon the processes involved in functioning of an economic system?taking existing structure as given. [p. 6] In this chapter, Katsenelinboigen is principally in? terested in identifying well-known problems of consistency and co? herence in Soviet planning. He notes schizophrenia of optimal