Should there be a propiska?

[2952-0-0]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propiska

[angus]

there might be some validity in controlling the movement of the populace.  according to your article, the term derives from a russian word related to "write" and referrs to an ancient Czarist practice of recording residences which was later used by the central soviet to control population movements.  So, if you're a Russian dictator looking to ensure the right person is in the right place at the same time, then it may be a grand idea.  I really don't know, as I subscribe to Price Theory and I think Command Economies are a bad idea in the first place.  From the point of view of an imperialist or a democratic capitalist it seems antithetical to maximization of enterprise in the sense that economic disequilibrium would result from such a policy.  But then we have economic sanctions agains Cuba, and used to have them against Iraq, and folks balk at Free Trade, so the populace here apparently welcome some ideas that are antithetical to price optimization. 

Anyway, it all depends on what your goals are I think.

[2952-0-0]

there might be some validity in controlling the movement of the populace.  according to your article, the term derives from a russian word related to "write" and referrs to an ancient Czarist practice of recording residences which was later used by the central soviet to control population movements.  So, if you're a Russian dictator looking to ensure the right person is in the right place at the same time, then it may be a grand idea.  I really don't know, as I subscribe to Price Theory and I think Command Economies are a bad idea in the first place.  From the point of view of an imperialist or a democratic capitalist it seems antithetical to maximization of enterprise in the sense that economic disequilibrium would result from such a policy.  But then we have economic sanctions agains Cuba, and used to have them against Iraq, and folks balk at Free Trade, so the populace here apparently welcome some ideas that are antithetical to price optimization. 

Anyway, it all depends on what your goals are I think.

This is perhaps a better article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_passport

[angus]

Every single Russian I ever knew--and I met quite a few in grad school and as a postdoc--had nothing good to say about the USSR.  Think Opebo talking about the USA.  That's the average russian talking about the USSR.  And the subject of propiska came up, although I never knew by such a name as I don't speak russian, and the english phrase they often used was "residence control"  I'd offer that a happy workforce is a productive workforce, and based on that I'd say that if your goal is productivity then no it's probably not a good idea in general.

Again, you have to put the question in context.  If your goal is domination, then I think you could argue that there should be.  If you goal is productivity, then I'd say not.  On the other hand, the PRC has the fastest-growing aggregate GDP in the world, and they use something similar.  Still, based on what chinese folks tell me, it doesn't sound like an ideal way to maintain a happy, productive people.

[opebo]

...it doesn't sound like an ideal way to maintain a happy, productive people.

Of course, happy and productive are more often opposing qualities than conflicting ones.

But as for controlling the population in this way, of course it is beneficial to the State, but not to the individual citizens.. other than the elite which controls the State.

[minionofmidas]

So what exactly are we talking about here?
A legal requirement to register address changes exists wherever there is automatic voter registration, such as in Germany, Australia etc.
Bans on internal travel are quite a different thing (and not desirable.) I'd add that India too knows restricted areas that even Indian citizens are not allowed to travel to without a special permit. There of course they were invented by the Brits.

[Blue Rectangle]

No, I would like to see Montana.