This paper develops a model to investigate the welfare implications of barter in Russia and other transition economies during the 1990s. We argue that barter is a welfare-improving phenomenon that acts as a defense mechanism against monetary instability. When firms react to tighter credit...

This paper proposes a composite measure to evaluate a firm's survival potential. The composite measure is applied to 51 Russian firms located in Moscow, Volgograd, Rostov and Taganrog, utilizing data collected in 1995 from in-depth interviews with top-level managers of manufacturing, trade, and...

Why do Russians work without wages? This paper investigates the extent to which job satisfaction and attitude toward work in general may account for the observed behavior of Russian workers. To analyze the level and determinants of job satisfaction among Russian workers, this paper utilizes...

Did the Soviet institution of job rights, guaranteed employment despite individual or firm performance, survive the initial stages of transition in the Russian economy? This paper employs survey data collected in 1992 and 1995 to evaluate the extent to which job rights continued to influence the...

This paper examines within-industry variation in labor productivity at the beginning of Russia's transition process in 1992, as well as regional variation in the percentage of firms that exhibit below industry average labor productivity. The main hypothesis is that industries and regions where a...

Based on panel data collected from more than 2,000 firms in Moscow, Rostov, Volgograd and Novosibirsk between 1992 and 1995, red executives are evaluated in terms of their ability to maintain or expand production and/or employment, as well as their ability to maintain their position. With...

This paper examines the nature and scope of enterprise restructuring in Russia using two sources of firm-level data. The first involves a panel of over 2,000 civilian manufacturing firms in Moscow, Tver, Volgograd, Rostov, and Novosibirsk. The second involves data collected from a series of...

What motivates Russians to work? This paper utilizes survey data collected in May/June 2000 from 1200 employees in three regions of Russia to analyze the gender and generational differences in factors influencing motivation to work. Five main results emerge. First, Russians are not significantly...

A multitude of explanations for low investment by Russian firms have been offered: high inflation, high interest rates, falling production, falling GDP, an underdeveloped banking system, a confiscatory tax regime, calls for the re-nationalization of industry, excessive regulations, and an...