A Society of Unstable Wellbeing: Income Mobility and Immobility in Russia

NRU Higher School of Economics , 2020. No. WP BRP 94/SOC/2020.

Mareeva S., Slobodenyuk E.

The article focuses on individual income mobility among Russians in the years 2009–2017, as measured objectively and subjectively. As in previous periods of post-Soviet development, income mobility in Russia remains high. In comparison to member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) , income mobility in Russia is higher, while the level of persistent well-being is lower. Subjective assessments of one’s income situation are even more volatile than objective positions on an income scale, with persistent subjective well-being almost non-existent. Furthermore, subjective mobility does not correlate closely with its objective counterpart. Persistent well-being in terms of objective and subjective income is determined by a combination of class and non-class factors, including, above all, labor market position, dependency burden, and health status. JEL Classification: I3, Z13.

Keywords: социальное неравенство, Россия, Russia, доходы, social inequality, income, income mobility, социальное неблагополучие, субъективная мобильность, subjective mobility, Доходная мобильность, immobility, sticky floor, sticky ceiling, social disadvantage, иммобильность, «липкий пол», «липкий потолок»

Publication based on the results of: Poverty, inequality and social mobility in modern Russia: An Interdisciplinary Analysis (2020)