The focus of this paper is on characteristics of administrative allocation of social goods under East European socialism, including its peculiar unbureaucratic features and basic principles of allocation, as well as its significance for stratification of socialist societies. It is contended that institutions controlling access to various resources perform a ‘gatekeeping’ role in the state's allocation and constitute a key element of socialist mechanisms generating social and spatial differentiation. An example of gatekeepers operating in the domain of housing is given and a specific role of industrial gatekeepers is emphasized.
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