[struwwelpeter]

Notice: Anyone wishing to buy potatoes must sign up at
accounting and bring bags with money. Administration

Actually, there were carrots and sticks built into Soviet socialism. There were awards: Hero of Labor, Udarnik - one who beats the quoto, or access to a better apartments and cafeterias. Also cash awards of "certificate" rubels or foreign currency which could be used in the beryozhki foreign-goods stores were a great incentive. When everyone else was playing Soviet pop on their magnitnofony, having the latest ABBA or Boney M record made you a god.

Likewise, failure has a heavy stick under a totalitarian system - which all socialist systems change into over time.

But a system only works when there are tangible, material rewards. Cash beats everything, any award you can get is measured in this.

Once a system has decayed to the point where the risks of failure outweigh the meagre rewards success bring, success disappears. A tin "veteran truda" pin for high self-esteem can't even buy a shot of vodka.

[Festa]

agreed. However, the soviets did not practice complete socialism, because that would have been impossible. Incentives were created but were modest and not worthwhile (as you point out). So there was a huge incentive problem in the soviet union...although you point out that it they did try. But that seems to be a negation of ideal socialism rather than an acceptance of it.

Finally, there was no free flowing price structure in the soviet union. Therefore, there was massive resourse misallocation.

Good points.