Middle class as reflection of economic and socio-cultural model of contemporary Russia’s development

Middle class as reflection of economic and socio-cultural model of contemporary Russia’s development


Gorshkov M.K.

Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Director, Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia director@isras.ru

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Gorshkov M.K. Middle class as reflection of economic and socio-cultural model of contemporary Russia’s development. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2015. No 1. P. 35-44




Abstract

Recent all-Russian studies done by istitute of sociology, Russian academy of sciences permit to analyze economic and socio-cultural characteristics of Russian middle class as an aspect of Russia’s development model. Maximum resource for growth of that class constituting some 40% of Russia’s economically active population at the time of the study does not exceed 8 to 10 per cent of overall country population. Middle class has certain advantages compared to other social shifts and groups: better material and living conditions, and higher professional status. Some problems are also stated: remarkable decline in power resource, uncertainty in future, greater share of simple leisure – in contrast to active type leisure. Consensus between state and middle class is feasible concerning obligations to resolve social problems However, consensus is until now absent.


Keywords
middle; Russia’s development; economic factors; socio-cultural factors; evolution
Content No 1, 2015