Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey Research Articles

Результативность трудового поведения домохозяйств в условиях трансформации отношений собственности и условий занятости

Цитирование: Темницкий А.Л. (2020) Результативность трудового поведения домохозяйств в условиях трансформации отношений собственности и условий занятости // Мир России. Т. 29. № 2. С. 134–155. DOI: 10.17323/1811-038X-2020-29-2-134-155
 В настоящей статье проблема результативности в трудовом поведении наемных работников анализируется с позиций целей и интересов домохозяйства. В этой связи в качестве важнейших результирующих показателей трудового поведения рассматриваются размер оплаты труда, соотнесенный с затратами времени, удовлетворенность оплатой и работой в целом, уверенность в занятости. В качестве информационной базы исследования используются данные Российского мониторинга экономического положения и здоровья населения (RLMS-HSE) за 1994–2017 гг. В статье дается диагностика эффективности трудового поведения городских наемных работников, занятых на формальном рынке труда, с учетом изменений в отношениях собственности и стабильности занятости в организациях. С помощью регрессионного анализа с фиктивными переменными выявлен вклад занятости на частных предприятиях в объяснение размера зарплаты. Показаны признаки потери привлекательности занятости на частных предприятиях, сохранения стабильности условий занятости для абсолютного большинства работников (за исключением ситуации с рабочим временем), вынужденного характера трудовой и профессиональной мобильности, роста уверенности в занятости при различных проявлениях динамичности в поведении, невозможности уделять больше времени семье из-за неготовности поступиться возможностями для заработка.

Среднее vs высшее

Цитирование: Константиновский Д.Л., Попова Е.С. (2020) Среднее vs высшее // Мир России. Т. 29. № 2. С. 6–26. DOI: 10.17323/1811-038X-2020-29-2-6-26
 В образовательных и профессиональных траекториях молодежи России произошли значимые изменения. С 2015 г. охват программами среднего профессионального образования по подготовке специалистов среднего звена превысил охват программами высшего образования и продолжает расти. В статье на материалах государственной статистики и Российского мониторинга экономического положения и здоровья населения проводится сравнение занятости и безработицы, мотивации выбора и динамики интереса, социального самочувствия после трудоустройства обладателей дипломов о среднем профессиональном и высшем образовании. Показано, что вузовский диплом потерял и в реальной, и в символической ценности как для обладающего им (или стремящегося к обладанию), так и для работодателя. При этом уменьшение стремления к высшему образованию, спад вовлеченности в эту сферу содержат определенные риски для наращивания и эффективного использования человеческого капитала. Обосновывается необходимость комплексного изучения побудительных мотивов социального поведения молодежи, аспектов ее дальнейшего трудоустройства и социального самочувствия.

Роль уровня притязаний и социальных сравнений в детерминации удовлетворенности жизнью

Данное исследование посвящено влиянию уровня притязаний и социальных сравнений на удовлетворенность жизнью россиян. В отличие от предыдущих работ, уровень притязаний понимается шире, чем конкретная сумма желаемого ежемесячного дохода. Предполагается, что индивид на основе социальных сравнений формирует субъективное представление о пространстве благосостояния и, в зависимости от своего жизненного опыта, стремится приблизиться к верхним или средним его границам, либо отдалиться от нижних. Результаты многоуровневого регрессионного моделирования на материалах 25 волны РМЭЗ НИУ ВШЭ подтвердили ранее обнаруженный негативный эффект уровня притязаний на удовлетворенность жизнью, однако конкретные механизмы различаются для когорт, переживших кризис 1990-х годов в трудоспособном возрасте, и для более молодых когорт респондентов. Также выявлено, что более выраженным эффектом обладают социальные сравнения не с доходными группами (богатые, бедные или середняки), а с категорией «другие», позволяющей самому респонденту определить эталон сравнения. Отмечается и роль регионального контекста: общий уровень бедности в регионе смягчает негативный эффект притязаний.
 Благодарность. Исследование выполнено за счет гранта Российского научного фонда: грант № 18-18-00341 «Ценностная трансформация и субъективное качество жизни: региональная перспектива».

Measurement of population income: Variants of estimating biases

Income is one of the most obvious and frequently used indicators of economic status and living standards. Surveys of households and individuals are the main sources of income data for sociologists and economists. Administrative data is added to them on a growing scale. Comparison of data obtained from different sources or surveys using different methods allows us to estimate biases, sources of errors, and demonstrates the absence of “ideal” income data in general. The review of foreign studies on this problem is supplemented by an example of calculations on data from the The Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey — Higher School of Economics (RLMS—HSE): we compare the compositional individual income, calculated as the sum of types of income, and the total personal income reported by respondents. The first measurement of individual incomes has turned out to be more consistent and definite, less prone to measurement error, but gives lower values of individual incomes. The differences of the total personal income reported by respondents and compositional individual income are due not so much to the inaccuracy of the summation and rounding as to “conceptual” features of understanding of personal income by some respondents. Such comparisons are necessary in order to understand the limitations of various measurements of income, grounded and reflexive choice of its specific indicators.

Does height matter for earnings? Evidence from Russia.

This study explores the link between height and earnings, using data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey for the year 2015 (24th wave). The dependent variable was average monthly income and the key independent variable was self-reported height, measured in centimetres. The empirical model also included a rich vector of personal and job-related factors that have been shown to be associated with earnings in the relevant literature. Sequential multiple regression and one-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyse the data. The results suggest that height is a significant predictor of earnings in Russia. The results were found to be robust for a set of controls and tests.

Inequality of opportunities in the Republic of Bashkortostan: Measurement based on parametric approach

This paper measures inequality of opportunity in the Republic of Bashkortostan and contribution of different circumstances to it, such as sex, age, nationality, type of settlement. Individual income and earnings were used as measures of achievement. The research is based on the data from surveys «Social and cultural portrait of region» (wave 2011), «Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey – HSE» (wave 2011), «Survey of population income and participation in social programs» (waves 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018). According to the data obtained, inequality of opportunity is relatively more important for achieving average thresholds of achievement compared with low and high thresholds. In the Republic of Bashkortostan, the greatest contribution to inequality of opportunity is made by sex, on the second place — type of the settlement, on the third place — age, at last, the least important factor — a nationality. In the Russian Federation the largest contribution to inequality of opportunity is made by the type of settlement, second — by gender, third — by age, and fourth — by nationality. In general, the results obtained for the region differ significantly from the results for the Russian Federation.

Measuring the Stability of Households: 1994–2017

This article analyzes the stability dynamic of Russian households over the last two decades, as well as its determinants. The methodology used for measuring stability is that which is being developed by intergovernmental bodies such as The United Nations (UN) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The empirical base of the study consists of data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS–HSE). The acquired results speak to the viability of Russian households: families’ average real capita income, after decreasing twofold during the crisis period (1994– 1998), not only recovered and returned to pre-reform values, but even exceeded the latter by one third during the period of rapid growth (2000–2007). Strategies for increasing the stability potential of households change depending on economic recessions and upsurges. It is shown that a decline in the proportion of households with income below minimal cost of living during growth of GDP was accompanied by an increasing inequality in stable development potential between the poor and the more wealthy families throughout the entire examined period, and especially from 2008 to 2017. Scattered local measures aimed at reducing poverty can result in a more pronounced synergetic effect, if we were to view households with income below minimal cost of living as a complex socio-economic system.

Patterns and Drivers of Household Income Dynamics in Russia: The Role of Access to Credit

The microeconomic drivers of medium- and short-term income mobility in Russia over the period 1996–2016 are investigated using data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS). Focusing on the role of access to credit in triggering household income growth, the descriptive analysis suggests that high levels of mobility materialising in pro-poor patterns of growth may accompany Russia’s notoriously high levels of inequality. Controlling for other personal and household characteristics, the econometric model for drivers of income mobility indicates that access to credit boosts income mobility. Complementary empirical evidence suggests that this effect may unfold through channels related to the labour market and non-labour sources of income.

Inequality of Opportunity: Theory and Practice of Measurement Using RLMS-HSE Microdata

This paper measures the opportunity inequality in the Russian Federation using a non-parametric approach. The paper uses data from the 20th round of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey — Higher School of Economics, which is a series of annual nation-wide representative surveys. Gender; type of township where the respondent was born; and educational status of the respondent’s parents were used as circumstance factors. The respondent’s income and earnings were chosen as the individual achievements. Calculations were made using two versions of the non-parametric approach: ex-ante, based on the “Min of Means” criterion, and ex-post, based on the “Mean of Mins” criterion. Several inequality indices, including Theil L index, Theil T index, and Atkinson’s A(1) and A(2) indices, were used in order to test the measurement reliability. According to the results obtained by our research team, in Russia, the contribution of opportunity inequality to earnings inequality is 18–24%, depending on the measurement procedure. The contribution of opportunity inequality to income inequality is somewhat less, 12–21%. The estimates obtained using the ex-post approach are higher than those using the ex-ante approach. Given that a limited number of circumstance factors were used in the research, it should be considered that the analysis performed allowed us to estimate the lower bound of the contribution of inequality of opportunities to the inequality of income and earnings in the Russian Federation.

Потребление культурных благ в России: что говорят опросные данные?

The paper examines dynamics in consumption of cultural goods in Russia. The sources of empirical data are the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS-HSE) for 2000-2018 and Rosstat's Complex Living Conditions Survey (CLCS) for 2011-2018. The analysis indicates that now approximately every second household and approximately every second adult individual consumes some cultural goods during the year. A regular audience is approximately one fifth of the total. The share of expenses on cultural goods reaches 2.5% of average monthly household budget. With the rapid income growth in 2000-2018 demand for cultural goods has been steadily increasing. There is a visible empirical regularity: the higher the income of households or individuals, the more active they are culturally. There appears to be a fairly banal, but effective practical way to stimulate demand for cultural goods in Russia: an acceleration of economic growth.

Child Penalty in Russia: Evidence from an Event Study

Despite years of women's progress toward equality, gender disparities in the labour market persist, and parenthood has been identified as one of its key drivers. In this paper we investigate the child penalty in Russia by using longitudinal data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS) and the methodological framework of event studies. Our findings show that five years after child birth women suffer an earnings penalty, while the same effect is not observed for men. The child penalty for women stems from lower employment after birth. In contrast to similar studies on Western European countries and the US, we do not find child penalties in terms of working hours or hourly wage rates. We further find that mothers' employment penalty is strongly driven by household characteristics and by their spouses' beliefs, while their own beliefs and background play no role.

Income Residential Demand Elasticities for Electricity: Do We Need to Differentiate the Tariff?

This study assesses how the Russian household welfare rate impacts electricity consumption volume. Modeling of Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS) data provided by the Higher School of Economics (HSE) has revealed a heterogeneous dependency between average per capita family income and electricity consumption volume. Electricity demand is not elastic among both urban and countryside residents. However, urban consumption is better described by a linear function, while rural consumption is better described by a quadratic function. The electricity tariff is not statistically significant for urban residents, whereas the price elasticity of electricity consumption for rural residents is close to 1. Application of lifeline rates for electricity tariffs in certain regions did not affect the level of elasticity of consumption by income, but some anomalies have been identified that indicate forced savings of electricity in order to pay for it at a minimum price. The study provides a divided quantitative assessment of influence of some non-income determinants on electricity demand among urban and countryside residents: number and age of family members, residential property area etc. The conclusion deems increasing block tariffs unreasonable because higher electricity tariffs may affect low-income groups thus raising the national poverty rate. If the cross subsidization problem in Russia is nevertheless addressed by imposing increasing block tariffs, the number of blocks and, respectively, prices must be more than two, while threshold consumption volumes should be estimated taking into account non-income determinants on different levels for different social groups.

Fiscal Effects of Labour Income Tax Changes in Russia

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the fiscal effects of changes in social contribution rates in Russia for the period 2010–2014, which was marked by significant changes in tax legislation. The consequences of these changes for both the budget system and the labor market still have not been thoroughly studied. As the empirical and theoretical research shows, taxation could influence the labor market in two ways: through the intensive and extensive margin. This study tests the hypothesis about the two kinds of effects of taxation for Russia by using the data of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey. It is demonstrated that an increase in the social contribution rate causes a decline in labor participation both for women and men. Moreover, an increase in the social contribution rate causes a reduction in the net-of-tax wage level for women and men. The state has already exhausted the opportunities for raising social contributions and pushing the reforms further would mean jeopardizing budget revenues and fiscal sustainability. Generally, an increase in social contributions has had a negative impact on the government’s revenues from social contributions and the personal income tax. It can be concluded that in general, the fiscal effects of the reforms were negative rather than positive. We would recommend the government to reconsider the current social contribution rates. Since the labour market is highly sensitive, it is possible to raise tax revenue through other means, thus avoiding adverse effects on public welfare.

The Changing Composition of Academic Majors and Wage Dynamics

We can observe several common trends related to higher education in many countries. First, there is expansion of higher education with a shift towards majoring in the social sciences. And second, there is growing inequality among college graduates in the labor market. In Russia, these trends have been present but with an amplified magnitude in recent years. Constructing a unique data set using open-ended responses to the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey, we use the Russian case to examine the effects of the changing composition of academic majors during expansion of higher education on the dynamics of wage distribution. This paper contains several contributions to the literature. First, we extend standard wage analysis across majors by exploring within-major and across-cohort variation, as well as major-specific permanent and transitory variance components and their time paths. We show that the evolving distribution of wages relates to both changes in skill prices and wage shocks induced by economic fluctuations. Next, we show that variation in skill prices relates to equilibrium effects induced by changes in the supply of graduates specialized in different fields. Uneven expansion in certain majors induces labor market saturation and leads to an increase in the wage variance of graduates from the fastest growing majors. Finally, we point out the importance of accounting for within-major heterogeneity across cohorts, which could reflect differences in student ability distribution, changes in academic content, and changes in educational quality over time.

The Divide among the Millennial Generation: Historical and Empirical Justifications. (Part one)

This article is about developing a sociological approach towards generational cohort analysis. The previously examined generation of millennials is divided into two age cohorts. A specific group of so-called “3S” millennials (“smartphones”, “social media”, “slump in the economy”) is distinguished. This younger generation entered their period of adulthood starting in the year of 2008, which was marked by continuous economic recession and a broad dissemination of new technologies and digital consumer services. Data was gathered from the annual Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS–HSE) for the years 1994–2018. The obtained results show a divide within the millennial generation, measured by a multiplicity of social indicators along with the preservation of many inter-generational differences. In part one of the paper published in this issue of the journal, we reveal that the younger “3S” generation of millennials has been dealing with new digital technologies since their early adolescent years. They are better educated, have more educated parents, and often postpone important decisions like marriage, first pregnancy, having children, employment in the labor market. Many intra- and intergenerational differences remain stable during the observation period when controlling for age and other standard variables.

Трудовые доходы и интеграция мигрантов на российском рынке труда

Labour resources of countries are important for their economic growth and national security. The problem of the native population decline in many countries is solved by increasing an influx of international immigrants. Russia is not an exception. The main research object of this study is the special category of immigrants - foreign-born population. The character of integration of foreign-born population on the Russian labour market is the main research subject in this study. For our analysis we use the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey data of 2006-2012 and apply Oaxaca-Blinder decompositions. Our findings show that integration of the foreign-born in the Russian labour market depends on their ethnicity and income level. The ethnic Russian foreign-born have similar income compared to the natives. However, income of the non-Russian ethnic foreign-born is lower than income of the natives. At the same time, the income differences between two groups decrease with their income level growth.

Does Job Change After Becoming A Pensioner Contribute To Maintaining Employment In Old Age?

This research explores the relation between labor mobility in pre-retirement and retirement ages and further employment in old age in Russia. Older workers often face the challenge of keeping their job due to impaired health, age discrimination, and other factors. Job change can be a potential strategy to maintain employment in old age. Our study uses panel data of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey of Higher School of Economics (RLMS-HSE) for 2010–2017. Logistic regression models show that labor mobility can be an effective strategy to maintain employment in old age but only for men. Older workers are more likely to change their job if they do not have stable employment relationships and are not satisfied with their current job.

Subjective Well-being and Disability in Russia: The Test of The Social Model

Prior research has indicated severe discrepancies in the levels of subjective well-being between people with and without disabilities. Given the Russian Government ratified the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities and thus committed itself to ensuring equal opportunities for citizens with disabilities, it is important to understand how those discrepancies can be explained and addressed. This study seeks to test whether it is the disability itself that hinders subjective well-being of disabled persons in Russia, or rather the social and economic consequences of ableist inequity, as the social model of disability would suggest. For this purpose, a series of multiple regression models was designed using data from the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS-HSE) which included the following blocks of independent variables: disability status, demographic background (gender, age, level of education, and marital status), economic position (relative income, purchasing power, and workforce participation) and social exclusion (loneliness, respect, and online networking). The findings indicate that the differences in subjective well-being are fully absorbed by social exclusion and financial situation rather than disability status. Thus, it can be argued that more attention should be paid by Russian policymakers to the promotion of social inclusion, combating stigma and raising public awareness on the topic, as well as employment strategies for people with disabilities that could provide them with an opportunity to improve their financial position, which should replace charitable interventions.

Diagnosing Unhappiness Dynamics: Evidence From Poland and Russia

This paper studies the determinants of changes in unhappiness rate (low happiness, poverty of happiness, misery) over time. We focus on two post-socialist countries, Poland and Russia, which experienced radical social and economic transformations since the collapse of communism. Using data from the Polish Social Diagnosis project for 1991-2015 and data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey for 1994-2014, we investigate the microeconomic determinants of spectacular declines in unhappiness rates observed in the studied periods in Poland (a 56% fall in unhappiness) and Russia (a drop in the range from 46 to 75% depending on the unhappiness threshold chosen). Using a nonlinear decomposition methodology, we split the overall decreases in unhappiness rates into characteristics effects (related to the changing distribution of unhappiness-affecting factors) and coefficients effects (due to changing returns to the unhappiness-affecting factors). Our results show that unhappiness reductions in both countries were mostly driven by coefficient effects, while characteristics played a smaller, but a non-negligible role. In both countries, income growth accounted for about 15% of the total unhappiness reduction. In Russia, this effect was doubled by growing return to income as unhappiness-protecting factor, while in Poland income has been losing protecting power and in overall income had an unhappiness-increasing effect. For Russia, another strong unhappiness-protecting factor was return to employment. In case of Poland, good self-rated health and having children explains additional 15-20% of the unhappiness reduction.

Statistical analysis of gender pay gap in modern-day Russia

Purpose of the study. The study of gender disparity remains relevant for all countries, including the Russian Federation. The study of disparity in quantitative terms: the income distribution, in which the main source – wages, is of particular importance. In the analysis of the gender pay gap, the main factors are such characteristics as the level of education, work status, district, age and the period of the employee’s service. The purpose of this article is a statistical assessment of gender differentiation of wages in Russia based on empirical data and aggregated data from the Federal State Statistics Service. Particular attention is paid to the econometric approach to gender differences in wages. Materials and methods. As the main sources of information were data from the Federal State Statistics Service. In addition as the empirical base of the study, the data from the 27th wave of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS) – Higher School of Economics were used. The study is based on a modified Mincer`s type equation. Models of the logarithm of wages for all employees, as well as separately for men and women, were developed. To clarify the range of factors, affecting wage differences, models were developed with either the age of the employees or the period of their service. In addition, the factor “socio-professional group” was included, due to the presence of marked gender differentiation among occupational groups. On the base of the constructed models, the gender difference in wages was decomposed. Results. The results allowed quantifying the impact of gender on wages, as well as assessing the impact of various factors separately for male and female. It was found a stronger influence of education on the women wages, which indicates, on the one hand, the intellectual advantages of women, and on the other hand, indicates the difficulty of obtaining decent earnings for women with low education. The factor of residence is more affected for men. Decomposition of gender difference in wages allowed us to establish the continued existence of gender inequality in the Russian Federation, ceteris paribus. Conclusion. The study of gender wage differentiation remains an important element in the analysis of both wage differentiation in general and gender disparity. The results of the analysis confirmed the persistence of gender differentiation wages in Russia at present. In the future, it is necessary to expand the analysis of gender differentiation of wages with the following characteristics: additional education, health, marital status, differences in the education of husband and wife, and the presence of preschool children.