Andrei Parshev
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Andrei Parshev is a Russian political writer, well-known in early 2000s.
[edit] Political and economic views
Parshev is prominent for arguing that an economic system based on liberal capitalism is unsuited for Russia because, as he claims, harsh Russian climate makes Russian economy inherently uncompetitive with other nations (e.g. with low temperatures high heating costs requiring higher salaries for workers and more expensive construction methods).
Parshev argues for the scaling down of Russian foreign trade, greater self-sufficiency and autarky, and for the return to more Soviet-style forms of management in economy and politics. His writings are influential among Russian nationalist and ultranationalist circles.
[edit] Criticism
Parshev was criticized by many economists mainly because his ideas are relatively suitable only for primitive agricultural economy and too weak for counter-examples. For instance, some argued that United States and Taiwan spend a great deal of energy on air conditioning but remain competitive, or that despite better climate condition African economies are no match even for Asian ones. Professional economists consider Parshev essentially incompetent.
