. ▁This ▁interpretation ▁is ▁difficult ▁to ▁sust ain ▁in ▁reality , ▁since ▁the ▁b ureau cr ats ▁performed ▁essential ▁manager ial , ▁organ izing , ▁development , ▁service ▁and ▁coord ination ▁functions . ▁Democratic ▁dec isions ▁are ▁not ▁necessarily ▁any ▁better - made ▁or ▁more ▁efficient , ▁than ▁b ureau cr atic ▁or ▁entrepr ene ur ial ▁ones ; ▁at ▁most , ▁dem ocracy ▁allows ▁for ▁errors ▁to ▁be ▁corrected ▁more ▁easily , ▁and ▁perm its ▁bad ▁man agers ▁to ▁be ▁ou sted ▁more ▁easily , ▁instead ▁of ▁bad ▁man agers ▁becoming ▁ent rench ed ▁in ▁positions ▁of ▁power . ▁ ▁The ▁real ▁issue ▁is ▁not ▁dem ocracy ▁as ▁such , ▁but ▁the ▁specific s ▁of ▁dem ocr atic ▁procedures , ▁mechan isms ▁and ▁organiz ational ▁forms . ▁Mand el ▁misunder stand s ▁the ▁core ▁idea ▁of ▁commun ism , ▁which ▁is ▁to ▁change ▁the ▁way ▁human ▁be ings ▁relate ▁and ▁are ▁related , ▁so ▁that ▁they ▁can ▁all ▁have ▁good ▁lives ▁in ▁a ▁co oper ative ▁common wealth . ▁Econom ists ▁have ▁made ▁many ▁arguments ▁along ▁the ▁lines ▁that ▁in e ffic iency ▁in ▁the ▁Soviet ▁economy ▁resulted ▁precisely ▁from ▁the ▁lack ▁of ▁any ▁clear ▁relationship ▁between ▁pr icing ▁and ▁economic ▁value ▁( in ▁the ▁sense ▁of ▁true ▁economic ▁cost ). ▁ ▁Charles ▁B ett el heim ▁compla ined ▁that ▁Mand el ▁lack ed ▁a ▁" dia lect ical ▁synth esis ", ▁because , ▁in ▁a ▁somewhat ▁Cart esian ▁way , ▁Mand el ▁tried ▁" to ▁deal ▁with ▁the ▁complex ▁reality ▁of