▁There ▁has ▁been ▁a ▁long ▁debate ▁among ▁Marx ists ▁about ▁whether ▁the ▁law ▁of ▁value ▁also ▁oper ates ▁in ▁non - cap ital ist ▁soci eties ▁where ▁production ▁is ▁directed ▁mainly ▁by ▁the ▁state ▁authorities . ▁This ▁debate ▁occurred ▁separately ▁from ▁the ▁social ist ▁calculation ▁debate . ▁There ▁is ▁still ▁little ▁agreement ▁on ▁the ▁issue , ▁because ▁different ▁Marx ists ▁use ▁different ▁definitions ▁and ▁concepts ▁which ▁are ▁often ▁influenced ▁by ▁political ▁att itudes . ▁ ▁Joseph ▁St alin ▁In ▁his ▁famous ▁pam ph let ▁Econom ic ▁Problem s ▁of ▁Social ism ▁in ▁the ▁USS R , ▁Joseph ▁St alin ▁argued ▁that ▁the ▁law ▁of ▁value ▁did ▁operate ▁in ▁the ▁economy ▁of ▁the ▁Soviet ▁Union . ▁St alin ▁was ▁primarily ▁concerned ▁at ▁the ▁time ▁with ▁the ▁problem ▁of ▁was ted ▁labour , ▁in ▁an ▁economy ▁where ▁workers ▁often ▁could ▁not ▁be ▁easily ▁fired ▁( they ▁had ▁a ▁constitution ally ▁guaranteed ▁right ▁to ▁a ▁job , ▁and ▁there ▁was ▁considerable ▁fe ather bed ding ▁of ▁employees ), ▁and ▁where ▁there ▁was ▁often ▁no ▁clear ▁relationship ▁between ▁sal ary - level s , ▁work ▁performance ▁and ▁actual ▁output . ▁The ▁St alin ▁theory ▁of ▁the ▁law ▁of ▁value ▁was ▁crit ically ▁discussed ▁by ▁W łod z im ierz ▁Br us ▁in ▁The ▁market ▁in ▁a ▁social ist ▁economy . ▁ ▁Y ev gen i ▁Pre ob raz hens ky ▁A part ▁from ▁St alin , ▁the ▁most ▁influ ential ▁the or ist ▁of ▁the ▁law ▁of ▁value ▁in ▁the ▁ 2 0 th ▁century ▁was ▁Y