The Great Divide: ‘Ruralisation’ of Poverty in Russia

Posted: 4 Jul 2008

See all articles by Christopher J. Gerry

Christopher J. Gerry

University of Oxford, OSGA and St Antony's College; HSE St. Petersburg, International Centre for Health Economics, Management and Policy

Eugene Nivorozhkin

SSEES, University College London

John Rigg

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Date Written: July 2008

Abstract

Using data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey for the period 2000-2004 we investigate poverty trends in Russia. We find that urban poverty declines at twice the rate of rural poverty so that by 2004 poverty in Russia had become a largely rural phenomenon for the first time since transition began. This finding does not stem from changing population characteristics or shares, is not dependent on the use of a particular poverty line nor is it driven by the rapid expansions that have occurred in Moscow, St Petersburg or other urban areas. Our findings flesh out those of Ravallion and colleagues, who, in contrast to other regions, ‘find signs’ of a ruralisation of poverty in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. We attribute some of the differential to the labour market.

Keywords: Russia, Poverty, Urban, Rural, RLMS

JEL Classification: I31, I32, P25, P46, O18

Suggested Citation

Gerry, Christopher J. and Nivorozhkin, Eugene and Rigg, John, The Great Divide: ‘Ruralisation’ of Poverty in Russia (July 2008). Cambridge Journal of Economics, Vol. 32, Issue 4, pp. 593-607, 2008, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1155276 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cje/bem052

Christopher J. Gerry (Contact Author)

University of Oxford, OSGA and St Antony's College ( email )

11
Bevington Road
Oxford, Oxfordshire OX26LH
United Kingdom

HSE St. Petersburg, International Centre for Health Economics, Management and Policy ( email )

Souza Pechatnikov street, 16
St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg 190008
Russia

Eugene Nivorozhkin

SSEES, University College London ( email )

SSEES, UCL,
Gower Street,
London, WC1E 6BT
United Kingdom
:+44 (0) 2076798811 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~tjmseni/

John Rigg

affiliation not provided to SSRN

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