Precise figures are not available on the propor- 

 tions of R&D directly planned by central authorities, 

 the branch ministries, and local R&D performers. Al- 

 though the 200 basic S&T problems account for only 

 about 25 percent of total official R&D, central plan- 

 ning is not limited to these programs and may approach 

 40 to 50 percent, in Nolting's opinion. Ministerial- 

 ly planned R&D activities constitute probably about 

 30 percent of the total effort while lower level per- 

 formers account for the remainder."' 



Throughout the discussion of selection, we have 

 referred to the pertinent criteria. In general, at 

 all levels and in all organizations criteria may be 

 grouped in three categories — economic, technical, and 

 social — with emphasis on the first. The criteria 

 themselves also are similar throughout the economy, 

 with allowance for the pertinent arena of the deci- 

 sion maker. Both the problems and the answers should 

 generally be formulated in a language appropriate for 

 the given planning environment. That is, scientific 

 evaluation, Larichev explains, "in spirit should be 

 a concrete response to problems of the planning or- 

 ganization." "Logical models of information conver- 

 sion which use verbal definitions of qualities are 

 more practical than mathematical ones," he adds. 68 

 In general, strong preference exists for relatively 

 simple evaluative methods and indicators rather than 

 for highly sophisticated analytical techniques and 

 complex quantitative formulas. For the most part, 

 R&D questions are seen by Larichev and other Soviet 

 science analysts to fall into the class of "weakly 

 structured decision problems," for which modern sys- 

 tems analytic techniques, including cost /effective- 

 ness methods, are not very useful. Only in the more 

 deterministic world of production-oriented develop- 

 ment projects are these conceptual aids deemed to be 

 of value in planning and deciding problems of choice 

 and uncertainty .69 Also as a general rule, Kapitsa 

 notes that the figures to be watched in project plan- 

 ning are not the absolute ones but the relative in- 

 dices — the percentages of the total used for sala- 

 ries, for administration, for scientific equipment, 

 etc. 70 



119 



