Measuring Social and Economic Change in Rural Russia: Surveys from 1991 to 2003 (Rural Economies in Transition) [Hardcover]

David J. O'Brien (Author), Valery V. Patsiorkovsky (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0739114204 | ISBN-13: 978-0739114209 | Publication Date: April 6, 2006

Measuring Social and Economic Change in Rural Russia is based upon nine household surveys in seven rural regions of Russia from 1991 to 2003; including a four wave panel study over an eight-year period. The findings that O'Brien and Patsiorkovsky share in this important work are the only long-term indicators of how ordinary people have learned to adapt to an economic system that was thrust upon them when the Soviet Union collapsed. Three main themes are explored: the relationship between formal and informal institutional change; regional responses to reforms; and the impact of household labor, social networks and community involvement, and physical capital on inequality in material, social, and psychological conditions. This comprehensive study's conceptual and interdisciplinary approach will appeal to anyone interested in the transition of countries from socialist to market economies.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Measuring Social and Economic Change in Rural Russia is valuable in its empirical research and in its ability to connect rural household strategies to village and region level responses during Russia's agricultural reforms....Especially provocative, and providing a sense of hope on this complex topic, is the authors' argument for developing sustainable communities in rural Russia that are equipped to compete in a globalizing economy. It is a useful text for students in summarizing Russia's agricultural reforms and in connecting Russia to policy discussions on sustainability in international development projects. (American Journal Of Sociology )

Based upon more than ten years of survey data from Russian villages, this is an ambitious book in terms of scope and method, and succeeds on many different levels. This book offers a unique view of rural change in Russia during its transition from communism. The authors present a compelling argument by demonstrating that rural households were opportunistic during the first decade of reform. They convincingly argue that we need to move beyond path dependencies if we are to understand rural change in Russia. Instead, the village experience in Russia shows the importance of institutions that shape incentives. The message carried by the book is a welcome relief to the conventional wisdom that argues rural dwellers resisted reform or that little has changed in rural Russia. The result is an outstanding contribution to the literature that will be useful to academics and policy makers internationally. (Wegren, Stephen K. )

About the Author

David J. O'Brien is Professor of Rural Sociology at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Valery V. Patsiorkovsky is Laboratory Chief at the Institute for Socio-Economic Studies of the Population, Russian Academy of Sciences.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Lexington Books (April 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0739114204
• ISBN-13: 978-0739114209
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,302,573 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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