Discovering Real Social Groups in Contemporary Russia

Gordey YastrebovResearch Associate

State University – Higher School of EconomicsRussia, Moscow

Socio-Occupational Classification

System restrictions Certain types of economic activity are

historically less stable, than the social classes they are associated with

Russian specifics: occupations are associated with certain character of labor and not particular status characteristics

Socio-Occupational Classification

Classification criteria 1) balance of executive and

organizational functions 2) level of creativity and diversification of

functions 3) degree of labor self-organization 4) labor complexity (education required) 5) economic value of labor (income)

Social Stratification in Post-Soviet RussiaSocial strata 1994 2002 2006

Entrepreneurs 2.6 4.4 4.0

Officials and upper middle managers 1.3 0.7 0.9

Middle managers 1.3 1.6 1.6

Supervisors 7.5 7.2 7.6

Highly skilled professionals 8.2 3.5 4.2

Professionals with higher education 18.6 14.3 12.5

Professionals with specialized secondary education 19.1 14.1 11.7

White-collar workers (in trade and service sectors) 3.5 10.9 9.8

Skilled and highly skilled workers 25.2 26.8 32.4

Semi and unskilled workers 12.7 16.7 14.1

Self-employed workers - - 1.2

Total 100 100 100

Post-Soviet Russia Compared to Other European CountriesCountries Social strata

I II III IV V VI VII

Russia 6.3 21.2 20.9 2.0 5.0 29.5 14.9

Czech Republic 7.9 19.6 21.2 10.1 4.7 17.4 19.2

Hungary 11.9 16.8 16.8 14.0 3.1 15.6 21.9

Poland 10.6 17.6 14.9 22.0 3.5 14.3 17.2

Slovenia 15.6 19.5 22.1 7.8 6.5 15.6 13.0

Germany 10.8 22.1 29.6 7.4 4.3 13.3 12.4

Spain 8.2 19.4 16.7 13.4 2.7 13.6 26.2

Classes according to EGP scheme: I – higher-grade professionals, administrators, and officials, managers in large industrial establishments, large proprietors, II – lower-grade professionals, administrators, and officials, higher grade technicians, managers in small industrial establishments; supervisors of non-manual employees, III – routine non-manual workers, clerical workers, sales personnel, and other rank and file employees in services, IV – small proprietors, including farmers and smallholders, self employed artisans and all other ‘own account’ workers apart from professionals, V – supervisors of manual workers and lower grade technicians (to some extent manual work), VI – skilled manual workers in all branches of industry, VII – semi and unskilled manual workers in industry and agricultural workers.

Individual Private Property Distribution in Post-Soviet Russia

Social strata Share of enterprise owners Share of securities owners

1994 2002 2006 1994 2002 2006

Enterpreneurs 42.6 57.0 82.6 20.5 4.7 21.8

Officials and upper middle managers

12.0 28.6 38.1 31.4 14.3 45.0

Middle managers 9.0 12.5 8.3 41.5 12.5 11.1

Highly skilled professionals

5.6 3.0 6.2 27.8 9.0 11.3

Professionals with higher education

6.9 3.3 2.1 18.9 8.7 8.5

White-collar workers (in trade and service sectors)

3.6 2.9 1.8 23.2 3.3 3.2

Skilled and highly skilled workers

3.9 0.6 1.6 20.0 8.0 5.0

Semi and unskilled workers

10.1 0.7 1.4 27.2 4.7 2.8

List of Properties Included in Entropy Analysis

Groups of properties Content of properties

Economic resourceownership of a firm/enterprise

ownership of shares/bonds nature of primary income

realty in propertytype of realty

Human resourceoccupationeducation

foreign language skillscomputer skills

compliance with qualificationhealth

Authority level of authority

Values and motivationattempt to start up a business

plans for further educationdesire for harder and more responsible work

additional work

List of Properties Included in Entropy Analysis

Groups of properties Content of properties

Social resourcesocial capital indicatormother’s occupationfather’s occupation

partner’s occupationfriend’s occupationparents’ well-being

Cultural resource leisure variety indicatorsize of library

Acquired resourcesincome per family member

housing space per family membergeneral family well-being

marketed services (parents)marketed services (children)

Social environmentsector of employment

form of ownership (where employed)territorial environment (settlement type)

gender

First 10 Combinations with Maximum Entropy

№ HN Combinations

1 0.730 ownership of a firm/enterprise, ownership of a shares/bonds, nature of primary income

2 0.729 attempt to start up a business, ownership of a firm/enterprise, ownership of a shares/bonds

3 0.706 ownership of a firm/enterprise, ownership of a shares/bonds, level of authority

4 0.705 attempt to start up a business, ownership of a firm/enterprise, nature of primary income

5 0.683 ownership of a firm/enterprise, nature of primary income, level of authority

6 0.678 attempt to start up a business, ownership of a firm/enterprise, level of authority

7 0.672 foreign language skills, ownership of a firm/enterprise, ownership of a shares/bonds

8 0.667 attempt to start up a business, ownership of a shares/bonds, nature of primary income

9 0.664 additional work, ownership of a firm/enterprise, ownership of a shares/bonds

10 0.660 ownership of a shares/bonds, nature of primary income, level of authority

Clusters in ‘Power-Property’ Set of Coordinates

Properties Cluster Centers

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Owners of a firm/enterprise

No No Yes No No No No No Yes No

Owners of shares/bonds

No No No No No Yes No No Yes No

Level of authority 0.00 7.05 5.52 2.84 4.43 0.00 2.06 5.67 6.78 3.59

Number of observations

1844

28 66 60 145 87 36 85 24 88

% from total 74.0 1.1 2.6 2.4 5.8 3.5 1.4 3.4 0.1 3.5

Concluding Remarks Two alternative methods for constructing of

real social groups used Entropy method: in contemporary Russia

economic capital and authority (power) rather than occupations determine inequality and social structure

Particular type of social stratification: estate hierarchy determined through authority with some elements of class differentiation