Perestroika, Glasnost, and International Cooperation: A Behavior Analysis

Abstract

Gorbachev’s perestroika has altered the behavioral contingencies governing the responses of the Soviet people by instituting a dominant metacontingency intended to foster economic efficiency. The program consists of a domestic initiative, glasnost, and an international agenda of increased cooperation and interdependence. A behavior analysis of perestroika reveals that glasnost is an environmental program designed to teach controlling and countercontrolling skills while international cooperation is designed to maintain and increase the environmental resources necessary for sustaining high rates of productive behavior.