Mareeva S.V., Slobodenyuk E.D. Inequality in Russia in International Context: Income, Wealth, Opportunities. The Russian public opinion herald. Data. Analysis. Discussions, 2018. Issue. 1-2 (126), pp. 30-46.

Текст статьи/выпуска на сайте журнала: URL: https://www.levada.ru/2018/08/28/vestnik-obshhestvennogo-mneniya-1-2-126-za-2018-god/ (дата обращения 12.09.2018)

Abstract

The article provides an overview of the recent international reports devoted to the problem of inequality and shows position of Russia in international context in terms of inequality of income, inequality of wealth and inequality of opportunities. It is shown that the differences in the approach to inequality measurement, combined with the use of different data sources, lead to different estimates of its degree and depth. Estimates of income inequality related to the distribution of income among the population as a whole (usually measured using the Gini coefficient) position Russia as a country with high degree of inequality (especially against the background of Western European countries), but not the extreme.  Measurement of inequality by income concentration provides a different picture. On a global background, Russia is characterized by very high rates of income concentration in the hands of the top 1–10% of the population; wealth concentration is even higher, and it positions Russia as a world leader of inequality. The extreme concentration of income and wealth in Russia is usually attributed by analysts of international organizations to the chosen path of transition to a market economy and the specifics of the institutional conditions in the country.  For the purpose of developing socioeconomic policy measures aimed to combat inequality, it should be borne in mind that the concentration of income / wealth and monetary inequality among the general population, although characterizing the extent of inequality in the country as a whole from different angles, are different phenomena, requiring different mechanisms for managing them.  The article also shows that in international practice attempts are made to make a comparative analysis of inequality of opportunities in different countries. However, inequality of opportunities is also usually associated with monetary inequality and is estimated through the influence of individual birth circumstances (gender, socioeconomic status of parents, place of birth) on income inequality. According to the available data, the Gini index on inequality of opportunities in Russia is quite high on the global background, and more than a third of income inequality in the country is attributed to the ascriptive characteristics associated with the circumstances of the birth. Turning to estimates of non-monetary aspects of inequality, the inequalities in access to education and life expectancy that the United Nations uses to adjust the Human Development Index classify inequalities in these areas in Russia as relatively less profound, especially in education (with respect to income inequality, these estimates, however, are much less optimistic). In general, inequality really represents one of the key challenges for a new stage in Russia's development, but the possibility of handling it requires a rigorous approach to its definition, measurement and formulation of the goals that need to be achieved.