Karavay A. V. Basic models of socio-economic adaptation in different strata of russian society. Terra Economicus, 2019, Vol. 17(3), pp. 128–145.

Текст статьи на сайте журнала URL: https://te.sfedu.ru/evjur/data/2019/3/karavay.pdf (дата обращения 14.10.2019)

Abstract

The main issue of the article is an analysis of the adaptive behavior of the modern Russian population based on the data of the eighth wave of the all-Russian monitoring study of the Institute of sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2018. It is declared that eleven adaptation strategies can be distinguished. Their characteristics depend on the specificity of which is determined by the degree of activity of their followers, their material and non-material resources capacity, place of residence, age and professional characteristics. It is also stated that by choosing adaptation strategies Russians act rationally and try to maximize the utility of available resources, and in case of their absence, to increase the work- or debt load. At the same time, their adaptation activity is restrained by the specifics of some local and global socio-economic institutions. The place in the stratification hierarchy influences the choice of adaptation strategy and its effectiveness in two aspects – the ability to accumulate assets necessary for adaptation, and the sufficiency of these assets to reduce the level of risks characterizinge the life of a particular individual. Representatives of the upper strata can choose the most comfortable strategy for themselves, and the Russians from the middle, and especially the lower strata almost do not have any choice of such strategies. As a result, the uneven distribution of life chances and risks in modern Russian society leads to unequal opportunities in the choice of successful strategies affording to maintain and increase material well-being, which leads to further growth of social inequalities. At the same time, the non-consistency of the status position (relatively high rates of life chances and risks at the same time) leads to a desire to change the institutional environment, what in Russian conditions means the appearance of an idea of internal migration or emigration. To the greatest extent, this idea is wide spread among the most prosperous part of society.