Running Business in the Russian Province: Kinship, work, and morality in the post-socialist economy

As a doctoral candidate in the “Realising Eurasia” project, Daria Tereshina studies small family businesses in provincial Russia. Combining classical methods of participant observation with survey analysis, she situates everyday practices of doing business amidst the broader political and economic shifts of recent Russian history. Her main field site is located on the western edge of Russia, in the city of Smolensk, with a population of circa 300,000. Its geographical position on the border with Belorussia and its proximity to the Russian capital gives rise to inner and cross-border migration flows: while Smolensk inhabitants look for the better opportunities in Moscow, Belorussian and Ukrainian citizens opt for Smolensk, since for many Moscow is out of reach due to its high costs of living. Domestic and foreign capital is invested in Smolensk in industries such as garment manufacturing and electrical equipment.

Drawing upon Weberian approaches to the work ethic, Tereshina focuses on the moral dimension of running family firms in which sentiments and business rationality are tightly intertwined. She pays close attention to the historical roots of moral values, including continuities with the attitudes to work that existed under socialism and the reasons for the resilience of these attitudes in the new capitalist Russia. Patrimonial values and informal networks, recurring topics in discussions of Russia’s development, are investigated with particular reference to small-scale enterprises. Given the revived significance of religious symbols in the public sphere since the 1990s, Tereshina also analyses the contemporary role of Orthodox moral teachings and their potential influence on economic behaviour among the nascent class of Russian petty capitalists.

 

Cooperating Partner:

Smolensk Business Club