The Collective and Class in a Russian Factory

Abstract

1. Introduction

Ever since the collapse of a planned economy, the increasing gap between the rich and the poor has been the constant concern of the Russian public. When the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991, Russia's Gini coefficient was 0.29, but it rose up to 0.41 at the end of 2006, showing the booming economy in the 2000s has barely changed income disparity (Bank of Finland 2008). Perhaps to some optimists, though it is not sound by international standards, this figure might not seem so seriously grave, compared to the USA (0.40 in 2004), or even China (0.496 in 2006).1)