Stability and precarity in the lives and narratives of working-class men in Putin’s Russia
Stability and precarity in the lives and narratives of working-class men in Putin’s Russia
The need for employers to adapt to global neoliberal capitalism has led to growing flexibility in employment relations, with more peripheral workers experiencing insecurity. In post-Soviet Russia, adaptation to the global marketplace created insecurity on a massive scale, coinciding as it did with the collapse of state socialism. Enterprises cut workers’ hours and wages in order to survive, and workers were forced to develop their own ‘survival strategies’ through secondary, informal employment. Although the legitimacy of the Putin presidencies has been built on the promise of greater economic stability, recent news reports point to the emergence of significant pay arrears. This article uses employment and income data to establish current trends in income insecurity, and a recent ethnographic study of working-class men to explore experiences of precarity amongst this group. Both data sources indicate ongoing instability, as many workers continue to rely on secondary incomes to make ends meet.
28-34
Walker, Charlie
73a65297-4ef1-4ad0-88ea-1626f11f0665
2016
Walker, Charlie
73a65297-4ef1-4ad0-88ea-1626f11f0665
Walker, Charlie
(2016)
Stability and precarity in the lives and narratives of working-class men in Putin’s Russia.
Social Alternatives, 34 (4), .
Abstract
The need for employers to adapt to global neoliberal capitalism has led to growing flexibility in employment relations, with more peripheral workers experiencing insecurity. In post-Soviet Russia, adaptation to the global marketplace created insecurity on a massive scale, coinciding as it did with the collapse of state socialism. Enterprises cut workers’ hours and wages in order to survive, and workers were forced to develop their own ‘survival strategies’ through secondary, informal employment. Although the legitimacy of the Putin presidencies has been built on the promise of greater economic stability, recent news reports point to the emergence of significant pay arrears. This article uses employment and income data to establish current trends in income insecurity, and a recent ethnographic study of working-class men to explore experiences of precarity amongst this group. Both data sources indicate ongoing instability, as many workers continue to rely on secondary incomes to make ends meet.
Text
Stability and Precarity - accepted - eprints.doc
- Accepted Manuscript
Text
Stability and precarity article
- Version of Record
Restricted to Repository staff only
Request a copy
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 30 January 2016
e-pub ahead of print date: 19 April 2016
Published date: 2016
Organisations:
Sociology, Social Policy & Criminology
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 393034
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/393034
ISSN: 0155-0306
PURE UUID: c695ae11-848d-4fd2-b152-2804b8aa3382
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 20 Apr 2016 11:39
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:34
Export record
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics
