Suchergebnisse

ABSTRACTMany Soviet kolkhozy and sovkhozy were transformed into agricultural production co‐operatives, because the farm workers would have had large transaction costs in any other type of organization. These co‐operatives still hold a strong market position. This study explores the hypothesis that this market strength could be due to low governance costs, obtained through strong manager power. As managers want the co‐operative to survive, they make limited investments in the co‐operative and pay low wages. The members, however, do not consider this to be problematic. They appreciate the community within the village, their private plots of land and the co‐operative's services. Hence the existence of the co‐operatives is not threatened.

The dominant organizations of agricultural production (kolkhozes and sovkhozes) have become obsolete with independence and the abolition of the Soviet era's planned economy. These organizations had to be restructured and family farms, or more generally private farms, were intended to form the new backbone of farm production. However, development since then has been difficult. Based on a literature review, this study reviews and assesses this development in terms of the changing institutional conditions. The Russian government's policies, by interchangeably supporting large-scale farming organizations or private farming, have created uncertainties for private farmers. Russian farmers were once strongly influenced by the mentality from Soviet times, but there are indications now that they are gaining strength, possibly as a consequence of a more benevolent political order, more entrepreneurial attitudes and developing organizational arrangements.

This article analyzes gender inequality in Russia's rural informal economy. Continuation of unequal gendered roles in Russia's rural informal economy suggests that tradition and custom remain strong. Gender differentials in time spent tending the household garden remain significant, as is the distribution of household tasks into gendered roles in ways that effect professional advancement for women. Land ownership is the domain of men, and women are not owners in Russia's new economy. Moreover, men earn more from entrepreneurial activity, a function of how male and female services are valued and priced in society. Responsibility that is shared includes the marketing of household food. The conclusion is that institutional change is less impactful on gender inequality than persistence of culture and tradition.

The emergence of new models of socially oriented cooperatives in the agrarian sector of the economy is a necessary condition for the realization of successful economic policy of the state, implemented in conditions of institutional tension. The cooperative movement in Russia has a unique multifaceted and at the same time complex character of functioning. With the powerful development of agricultural holdings, which act as the main drivers of agricultural production and export, small farmers face signifi cant problems in building a successful cooperative system. The purpose of the research, the results of which are presented in this article, is to develop a comprehensive approach to the study of social motives for the development of agricultural cooperation in the modern market environment in the context of its special role in the development of the agricultural industry, rural communities and rural areas. In the framework of this study, the factors constraining the development of cooperative associations were identifi ed, the model of values of new-type cooperatives was proposed, including the key role of leadership as the main driving force for the powerful development of agricultural cooperation. The factors of cooperative trust formation are identifi ed in order to increase motivation and encouragement to join these associations. The conclusions formulate the most signifi cant parameters of the new model of cooperative knowledge management, contributing to the sustainable development of the Russian cooperation in modern conditions, acceptable for its realization with the following parameters.