Winners and Losers in Russian Agrarian Reform

Abstract

More than ten years after Russian agrarian reform was begun, it is appropriate to reflect upon winners and losers. Using survey data from 800 households in five Russian regions, this article is interested in the effect of reform within the rural sphere. The analysis focuses on four groups of rural actors within the food production sphere: private farmers, farm managers, specialists employed on state and collective farms and their juridical successors, and farm workers employed on state and collective farms and their juridical successors The first part of the article examines winners and losers using the following variables: self-perceptions about winners and losers, monthly household income, job security, and ownership of certain durable goods. We conclude that private farmers have fared best relative to other occupational groups. On large farms, managers have fared best. The second part of the article analyses why winners win by considering structural and behavioural factors. We conclude that winners win because they take advantage of reform opportunities and engage in market-based activities.