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Journal of Economic Literature

ISSN 0022-0515 (Print) | ISSN 2328-8175 (Online)

New Russian Economic History

  • Ekaterina Zhuravskaya ⓡ
  • Sergei Guriev ⓡ
  • Andrei Markevich
Journal of Economic Literature
vol. 62, no. 1, March 2024
(pp. 47–114)
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Abstract

This survey discusses recent developments in the growing literature on the economic history of Russia in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Using novel data and modern empirical methods, this research provides important lessons for development and political economy. We address four strands of this literature. First, we present long-term trends in economic development, illustrating that throughout history, Russia significantly underperformed advanced economies, and quantify the human cost of Joseph Stalin's dictatorship. Second, we discuss studies of imperial Russia focusing on the causes of Russia's relatively low level of economic development and the 1917 revolution. The third strand of the literature focuses on the Soviet period, explaining its slowdown over time and eventual collapse. The fourth strand documents the long- term economic, social, and political consequences of large-scale historical experiments that took place during both the imperial and Soviet periods. We conclude by discussing the lessons from this research and highlighting open questions.

Citation

Zhuravskaya, Ekaterina ⓡ Sergei Guriev ⓡ Andrei Markevich. 2024. "New Russian Economic History." Journal of Economic Literature 62 (1): 47–114. DOI: 10.1257/jel.20221564

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • N10 Economic History: Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations: General, International, or Comparative
  • N30 Economic History: Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy: General, International, or Comparative
  • N40 Economic History: Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation: General, International, or Comparative
  • N60 Economic History: Manufacturing and Construction: General, International, or Comparative
  • P20 Socialist Systems and Transitional Economies: General
  • P30 Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions: General
  • Z13 Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification