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Russian real wages before and after 1917

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  • Allen, Robert C.
  • Khaustova, Ekaterina

Abstract

The paper measures real wages in St Petersburg, Moscow, and Kursk over 1853-1937. Workers in construction and large scale industry are studied. For the imperial period and the NEP, new series of prices are collected from archival and printed sources, and these radically revise previous measures of inflation. Russian living standards grew little between 1853 and 1913, but doubled between 1913 and 1928 due to the exchange rate, price, and employment policies followed by the regime. Real wages dropped to their pre-War level between 1928 and 1937, as the social surplus was mobilized for the industrialization drive.

Suggested Citation

  • Allen, Robert C. & Khaustova, Ekaterina, 2019. "Russian real wages before and after 1917," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 23-37.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:exehis:v:72:y:2019:i:c:p:23-37
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eeh.2018.12.001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Filip Novokmet & Thomas Piketty & Gabriel Zucman, 2018. "From Soviets to oligarchs: inequality and property in Russia 1905-2016," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 16(2), pages 189-223, June.
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    3. Filip Novokmet & Thomas Piketty & Gabriel Zucman, 2017. "Appendix to "From Soviets to Oligarchs: Inequality and Property in Russia, 1905-2016"," Working Papers 201710, World Inequality Lab.
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    8. Robert C. Allen & Ekaterina Khaustova, 2017. "Russian Real Wages Before and After 1917: in Global Perspective," Working Papers 20170003, New York University Abu Dhabi, Department of Social Science, revised May 2017.
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    Cited by:

    1. Kufenko, Vadim & Khaustova, Ekaterina & Geloso, Vincent, 2022. "Escape underway: Malthusian pressures in late imperial Moscow," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    2. Kholodilin, Konstantin A. & Limonov, Leonid E. & Waltl, Sofie R., 2021. "Housing rent dynamics and rent regulation in St. Petersburg (1880–1917)," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    3. Matthias Morys & Martin Ivanov, 2024. "Did living standards actually improve under state socialism? Real wages in Bulgaria, 1924-1989," Working Papers 0267, European Historical Economics Society (EHES).

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