Changing Attitudes Toward Economic Reform During the Yeltsin Era

On December 31, 1999, Boris Yeltsin stepped down as president of the Russian Federation, marking the end of an era. While scholars and observers alike continue to debate the degree to which Russia succeeded in establishing democracy or a free market economy, the enormity of the social transformation that occurred during the Yeltsin era is far less disputable. For the social stratification that emerged changed the very face of Russian society.

Much criticism has been leveled at the political corruption that marred the Yeltsin era. However, the economic and political reforms enacted under Yeltsin also permitted the opening of new channels of social mobility, particularly in the larger cities. Those who benefited most from the reforms became its strongest supporters, allowing the creation of a nascent middle class. The book's focus on this socioeconomic group is unique, as most analyses of the Yeltsin era largely ignore it.

Terry D. Clark is associate professor of political science and director of the graduate program in International Relations at Creighton University. He has published extensively on emerging democratic institutions in postcommunist Europe. His articles have appeared in Slavic Review, East European Politics and Societies (EEPS), PS, Nationalities Papers, and the Journal of Policy Studies. Clark is a past recipient of several IREX research grants and was a Fulbright Fellow at Vilnius University, Vilnius University.

Ernest Goss is currently the Jack MacAllister Chair in Regional Economics at Creighton University. He received his PhD in economics from the University of Tennessee in 1983 and is a former faculty research fellow at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. He has published over 80 research studies focusing on economic development. He is a member of the editorial board of the Review of Regional Studies and is the editor of Economic Trends.

Larisa Kosova started working for VCIOM ten years ago as a research fellow. She is currently a Head of Department. She has published articles on social mobility, attitudes toward reforms in Russia, and civil society in leading Russian journals. Some of these articles have been translated into English and published in the West.