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Borys Kosarev: Modernist Kharkiv, 1915-1931 at The Ukrainian Museum thru May 2, 2012
Posted by Joe on June 12, 2000 at 14:11:18:
In Reply to: Re: TO UKRAINIAN DIASPORA, Re: Ukrainian Newspapers posted by Pavlo on June 12, 2000 at 00:56:21:
Dear Pavlo,
I do understand that the press has been having a tough time with a different kind of censorship in Ukraine. After all, the President of Ukraine was listed among the enemies of the press. Unfortunately, I did not make clear that the word "free" I used rather in economical then political sense and it has a relative meaning. However, I fully agree with you on your last statement regarding interconnectedness "Free society, free market…etc." I think the point is still valid, irrespective of politics, that the market is a very strong force determined mainly by supply and demand. If "Vechirniy Kyiv" provides more incentives to buyers than corresponding newspapers in Russian, I am sure more individuals will buy it, and the price can potentially go down. (Incentives, I mean not only the price. I can also understand that it can be distorted by subsidies and this rule of "supply and demand" should be applied broadly.) The communists in the former USSR thought that they are very smart and can ignore the market, instead of trying to understand it. As you know, various ministries in USSR listed all products, total of 20 millions, with detailed instructions how to produce etc., but they ignored the supply and demand. The outcome is well known. In this, the China is smarter, more pragmatic than the former USSR was.
Regards, Joe