One of the attributes most consistently highlighted in the literature on frontier society is the tendency to spontaneous social organisation. However, despite the resilience of the ‘frontier thesis’ within sociology and political science, it has not been subject to a rigorous empirical...

The objective of this research was to assess the mechanism through which the individual level components of social capital, that is, individuals‘ levels of trust, tolerance and civic identity affect their economic behavior. The sample of the study included 634 respondents aged 20 to 59. A...

Based on a sample of 5,784 Russian-speaking respondents, this study provides the first quantitative evidence on freelance contracting via the Internet. We explore the extent to which these virtual business relations are formal or informal, and the role of social capital and networking. Our data...

How is state capacity consolidated? While there is a growing literature on state formation and the long-term rise of state capacity, this literature typically deals with differences between countries, neglecting the fact that state formation also occurs differentially within a country over time....

The efficiency of social reforms in different countries mostly depends on the extent to which they can be accepted by the population. However, even if problems are similar, the reasons may differ, which can make it difficult to apply existing laws of one state to another. Bribery is a typical...

This study examines the relationship of values and social capital with attitudes towards innovations. The respondents (N = 1238) were asked to fill in a questionnaire, which included the Schwartz value survey SVS-57, a selfassessment scale of innovative personality traits [Lebedeva, Tatarko,...

This study analyzes the phenomenology of socio-psychological capital viewed as a resource for psychological relations which constitutes the basis for the formation of social capital. A cross-cultural analysis of the impact of value orientations on socio-psychological capital has been performed....

A popular view in Russian studies argues that underdevelopment of Russian civil society is partly responsible for the failure of liberal idea in Russia. The fragmented society may see no alternative to massive government regulation, which is why support for a strong state is so high. If this...

This paper examines the impact of family income on the results of the Unified State Examination (the USE) and university choice in Russia. We argue that, even under the USE, which was introduced instead of high school exit exams and university-specific entrance exams, entrants from wealthy...

Despite the trends of massification of Russian higher education and recently introduced standardized entry exams, university applicants still may face barriers during the process of admission. As a result, they may be admitted to less selective universities, which generally offer low quality...