Merle Fainsod (May 2, 1907 – February 11, 1972) was an American political scientist best known for his work on public administration and as a scholar of the Soviet Union.

[4] As the Cold War emerged, Fainsod took a renewed interest in the Soviet Union and helped to establish the Russian Research Center at Harvard in 1948, which he directed from 1959 to 1964.

In addition to providing basic facts about government, the book attempted to "teach patriotism, citizenship, and a proper zeal for the Americanization of aliens."

Writing in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Edward Berman called the book "an excellent and informative account.

[2] Intended as a textbook, the book presented the "economic, organizational, legal, and constitutional setting" for American business and discussed the evolution of the role of the government in the economy over the first half of the twentieth century.

[15] In examining the relationship, the book primarily focused on political matters, and did not present any significant discussion of monetary policy, a fact criticized by Oscar Gass in the University of Chicago Law Review.

[16] Despite criticizing the omission of monetary policy, Gass praised the volume, writing that it was "distinguished for its penetrating economic analysis.

He wrote that "as a source of information on the legal and institutional framework within which the American economy operates ... this volume is very valuable," but concluded by faulting the lack of analysis in the book, labeling it "unrealistic" and "unenlightening.

[19] Philip Buck wrote that the book was "of great interest to the general reader," but found that it had less utility for serious scholars, criticizing in particular the lack of details on Soviet economic planning.

[19] Writing in Political Science Quarterly, Leo Gruliow presented a generally favorable review of the book, but criticized its lack of detailed analysis on the Soviet propaganda and indoctrination efforts.

In the revised edition, Fainsod also took into account certain changes in international dynamics, including the increasing role of nuclear weapons, the Sino-Soviet split and some of the liberalization in the USSR.

The book was based on internal Communist party documents captured by the German Army after overrunning the city of Smolensk.

In 1991, Catherine Merridale wrote in the Slavic Review: "Fainsod's interpretation has dated," but she still praised some aspects of the book, including its study of the NKVD and dekulakization.

[25] Similarly, Irving Anellis in 1996 hailed the book as "one of the most significant sovietological studies of its day," but argued that Fainsod's conceptual models and theories had not stood the test of time.