Contract responsibility system

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In traditional Maoist organization of the rural economy, and that of other collectivised programs, farmers are given a quota of goods to produce. They are compensated for meeting the quota. Going beyond the quota rarely produced a sizeable economic reward. In the early 80's peasants were given drastically reduced quotas. What food they grew beyond the quota could be sold on a free market at unregulated prices. This was an instant success, quickly causing one of the largest increases in standard of living for such a large number of people in such a very small time. This system maintains quotas, and thus, the element of socialist socieities termed in China, the Iron Rice Bowl (in which food and employment is ensured by the state)