Over the last decade, the Kremlin’s policies have consistently traded Russia’s economic development for Russia’s great power status. As a result, Russia has experienced a significant economic slowdown. Recent efforts to extend President Vladimir Putin’s presidency will enable Moscow to continue these policies. But are these policies feasible in the long term? Few in-depth empirical studies have attempted to answer this question. To do so, CEPA and the Levada Center ran a series of surveys in Russia designed to explore the modernizing trends within Russian society. This discussion will present the results of the report – the first in a series – that focuses on Russians’ attitudes towards business and entrepreneurship in Russia.

Join CEPA for a discussion where panelists will consider: does the economic slowdown undermine the willingness of the Russian population to do business; how do Russians view business, and what role does the Soviet legacy of seeing businessmen as crooks play in it; how do these attitudes vary across different population groups; what factors do citizens identify as key obstacles to doing business in Russia; and how do their views of state officials factor in?

ModeratorBrian Whitmore, Russia Program Director, CEPA

SpeakersMaria Snegovaya, Associate Scholar, CEPAStepan Goncharov, Sociologist, Levada Center

Denis Volkov, Deputy Director, Levada Center

Media Contact: Christina Brown at christina.brown@cepa.org or (202) 601-4148.Photo: Under Creative Commons via Pxfuel. 

Brian Whitmore

Maria Snegovaya