DOCSLIB.ORG

World Bank Document

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
World Bank Document Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized The LongJourneytoRecovery The WorldBankintheRussianFederation 35 | April 2016 35 | Russia Economic Report The Long Journey to Recovery I. Recent Economic Developments II. Economic Outlook III. In Focus: Export Competitiveness and Foreign Direct Investment This report is produced twice a year by World Bank economists in the Macroeconomics and Fiscal Management Global Practice. The team that prepared this edition was led by Birgit Hansl (Lead Economist and Program Leader in Russia, bhansl@worldbank. org) and consisted of Sergei Ulatov (Senior Economist), Olga Emelyanova (Research Analyst), Mikhail Matytsin (Consultant), Michael Edwards (Lead Financial Sector Specialist), Katerina Levitanskaya (Operations Officer), Christian Eigen-Zucchi (Senior Economist), John Baffes (Senior Economist), and Irina Rostovtseva (Program Assistant). Birgit Hansl authored the focus note on export competitiveness and foreign direct investment together with Michael Ferrantino (Lead Economist) and Gabriela Schmidt (Consultant) based on a World Bank paper titled Export Performance and Foreign Direct Investment Performance across Russia’s Regions. Peer reviewers included Eric Le Borgne (Lead Economist), Christos Kostopoulos (Lead Economist), and Praveen Kumar (Lead Economist). The report was edited by Sean Lothrop (Сonsultant), and the graphic designer was Robert Waiharo (Сonsultant). The team would like to thank Cyril Muller (Vice President of the Europe and Central Asia Region), Hans Timmer (Chief Economist of the Europe and Central Asia Region), Andras Horvai (Country Director for Russia), Miria Pigato (Practice Manager, Macroeconomics and Fiscal Management Global Practice), and the Russia teams at the European Bank for Development and Reconstruction, and the IMF for their advice and support. This report went to press on April 4, 2016. TABLE OF CONTENT ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ...................................................................................................................... i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................ ii I. RECENT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS: ........................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Growth - Economic Recovery Delayed .............................................................................................................. 2 1.2 Balance of Payments – Swift Import Adjustment Supports the Current Account............................................. 8 1.3 Monetary Policy and the Financial Sector – Addressing Policy Tradeoffs ........................................................ 12 1.4 The Government Budget – Uncertainty in the Face of Unresolved Medium-Term Challenges ....................... 18 1.5 Income and Poverty Trends – The Labor Market Weakens .............................................................................. 22 II. OUTLOOK – AN UNCERTAIN PATH AHEAD ...................................................................................................... 25 2.1 Growth Outlook – A Shift in Adjustment Challenges ........................................................................................ 26 2.2 Poverty and Shared Prosperity Outlook – Fortunes Reverse ............................................................................ 35 2.3 Risks and Policy Challenges – Prevailing Headwinds ........................................................................................ 37 III. EXPORT COMPETITIVENESS AND FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT – THE COMPLEX PUZZLE OF DIVERSIFICATION ........................................................................................................................................... 45 3.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................... 46 3.2 Russia’s Export Profile and the Challenge of Diversification ............................................................................. 48 3.3 Attracting FDI in a Challenging External Environment ..................................................................................... 56 3.4 Foreign Investment, Export Performance and Regional Development ............................................................ 58 3.5 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................................ 61 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................................... 63 Annex I: Main Macroeconomic Indicators ............................................................................................................. 64 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: GDP growth, year-on-year, percent ............................................................................................................... 2 Figure 2: Demand composition of GDP growth, year-on-year, percent ....................................................................... 3 Figure 3: GDP growth, year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter, seasonally adjusted, percent ....................................... 3 Figure 4: Global industrial production and trade growth, percent change .................................................................. 4 Figure 5: Gross capital flows to developing countries, US$ billions ............................................................................. 4 Figure 6: Global energy prices, US$/mmbtu ................................................................................................................ 5 Figure 7: Crude oil supply growth, mb/d ...................................................................................................................... 5 Figure 8: Contribution to GDP growth by sector, percent ............................................................................................ 7 Figure 9: Growth in tradables, value, added, year-on-year, percent ............................................................................ 7 Figure 10: Fixed investment growth by sector, 2015, year-on-year, percent ................................................................. 7 Figure 11: Employment growth by sector, 2015, year-on year*, percent ...................................................................... 7 Figure 12: Goods imports, the REER and oil prices ........................................................................................................ 8 Figure 13: The composition of the current-account balance, percent of GDP ............................................................... 8 Figure 14: Oil prices and the trade, services and investment-income balances ............................................................ 9 Figure 15: Russia’s 5-year CDS spreads .......................................................................................................................... 9 Figure 16: Debt to non-residents, US$ billion ................................................................................................................ 10 Figure 17: Remittance outflows, Q1-3 2015 .................................................................................................................. 11 Figure 18: Remittance inflows, Q1-3 2015 ..................................................................................................................... 11 Figure 19: Exchange-rate dynamics in Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan (2014 = 100) ............................................... 13 Figure 20: Changes in oil prices and the nominal exchange rate ................................................................................... 13 Figure 21: Key policy rates, percent ............................................................................................................................... 14 Figure 22: CPI inflation components, year-on-year, percent .......................................................................................... 14 Figure 23: Money-supply dynamics ............................................................................................................................... 15 Figure 24: Broad monetary base dynamics, 3-month moving average ......................................................................... 15 Figure 25: Credit growth, year-on-year, percent ........................................................................................................... 15 Figure 26: Profitability and credit risk, percent ............................................................................................................. 15 Figure 27: Capital adequacy ratio, end-of-period, percent ........................................................................................... 16 Figure 28: Distribution of banks by capital adequacy ratio, 2015 ................................................................................. 16 Figure 29: Federal revenue and budget balances, 2007-2015, percent of GDP ............................................................ 18 Figure 30: Federal primary expenditures, 2014, percent of GDP .................................................................................. 18 Figure 31: Unemployment rates in resource-rich countries, one-year
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Doing Business in Russia EY Sadovnicheskaya Nab., 77, Bld
    Doing business in Russia EY Sadovnicheskaya nab., 77, bld. 1 115035, Moscow, Russia Paveletskaya Pl., 2, bld. 2 115054, Moscow, Russia Tel: +7 (495) 755 9700 Fax: +7 (495) 755 9701 2 Doing business in Russia Introduction This guide has been prepared by EY Russia to give the potential investor an insight into Russia and its economy and tax system, provide an overview of forms of business and accounting rules and answer questions that frequently arise for foreign businesses. Russia is a fast-developing country and is committed to improving the investment climate and developing a better legal environment for doing business. On the one hand, this makes doing business in Russia an attractive prospect; on the other, it can make for difficult decisions both when starting a business and further down the line. EY provides assurance, tax, legal, strategy, transactions and consulting services in 150 countries and employs over 300,000 professionals across the globe1, including more than 3,500 employees in 9 offices in Russia. EY possesses extensive, in-depth knowledge of Russian realities and is always ready to come to the assistance of first-time and experienced investors alike. This guide contains information current as at March 2021 (except where a later date is specified). You can find more information about doing business in Russia as well as up-to-date information on developments in its legal and tax environment on our website: www.ey.com/ru. 1 Who we are – Builders of a better working world | EY — Global Doing business in Russia 1 2 Doing business
    [Show full text]
  • The Spirit of Discovery
    Foundation «Интеркультура» AFS RUSSIA 2019 THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY This handbook belongs to ______________________ From ________________________ Contents Welcome letter ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 3 1. General information about Russia ………………………………………………………………… Page 4 - Geography and Climate ……………………………………………………………………………… Page 4 - History ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Page 5 - Religion ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 6 - Language ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 6 2. AFS Russia ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 7 3. Your life in Russia …………………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 11 - Arrival ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Page 11 - Your host family ……………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 12 - Your host school …………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 13 - Language course …………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 15 - AFS activities ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. Page 17 * Check yourself, part 1 ………………………………………………………………………………………. Page 18 4. Life in Russia …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Page 20 - General information about Russian Families ………………………………… Page 20 - General information about the School system……………………………… Page 22 - Extracurricular activities …………………………………………………………………………………… Page 24 - Social life …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 25 - Holidays and parties ……………………………………………………………………………………. Page 28 5. Russian peculiarities ………………………………………………………………………………………….. Page 29 6. Organizational matters ………………………………………………………………………………………
    [Show full text]
  • Lost for Words Maria Mikulcova
    Lost for Words Effects of Soviet Language Policies on the Self-Identification of Buryats in Post-Soviet Buryatia Maria Mikulcova A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of MA Russian and Eurasian Studies Leiden University June 2017 Supervisor: Dr. E.L. Stapert i Abstract Throughout the Soviet rule Buryats have been subjected to interventionist legislation that affected not only their daily lives but also the internal cohesion of the Buryat group as a collective itself. As a result of these measures many Buryats today claim that they feel a certain degree of disconnection with their own ethnic self-perception. This ethnic estrangement appears to be partially caused by many people’s inability to speak and understand the Buryat language, thus obstructing their connection to ancient traditions, knowledge and history. This work will investigate the extent to which Soviet linguistic policies have contributed to the disconnection of Buryats with their own language and offer possible effects of ethnic language loss on the self-perception of modern day Buryats. ii iii Declaration I, Maria Mikulcova, declare that this MA thesis titled, ‘Lost for Words - Effects of Soviet Language Policies on the Self-Identification of Buryats in Post-Soviet Buryatia’ and the work presented in it are entirely my own. I confirm that: . This work was done wholly while in candidature for a degree at this University. Where I have consulted the published work of others, this is always clearly attributed. Where I have quoted from the work of others, the source is always given. With the exception of such quotations, this thesis is entirely my own work.
    [Show full text]
  • Expert Survey on the Quality of Government in Russia's Regions Is Credible Information About the Regional
    EXPERT SURVEY ON THE QUALITY OF GOVERNMENT IN RUSSIA’S REGIONS: A REPORT MARINA NISTOTSKAYA ANNA KHAKHUNOVA CARL DAHLSTRÖM WORKING PAPER SERIES 2015:16 QOG THE QUALITY OF GOVERNMENT INSTITUTE Department of Political Science University of Gothenburg Box 711, SE 405 30 GÖTEBORG October 2015 ISSN 1653-8919 © 2015 by Marina Nistotskaya, Anna Khakhunova, Carl Dahlström. All rights reserved. Expert Survey on the Quality of Government in Russia’s Regions: A Report Marina Nistotskaya, Anna Khakhunova, Carl Dahlström QoG Working Paper Series 2015:16 October 2016 ISSN 1653-8919 SUMMARY The Expert Survey on the Quality of Government in Russia’s regions (Russia’s Regions’ QoG Expert Survey) focuses on the organizational design of public bureaucracy and bu- reaucratic behavior in Russia’s regions It is based on the subjective assessment of carefully selected experts 466 experts agreed to participate pro bono 311 questionnaires were completed The questionnaire includes 42 substantive questions, yielding 48 region-level indicators Geographical coverage: 79 regions out of 83 (at the time of the study) 64 regions have three or more experts There are two datasets, one individual-level and one region-level Suggested report citation: Nistotskaya, Marina, Anna Khakhunova and Carl Dahlström. 2015. Ex- pert Survey on the Quality of Government in Russia’s Regions: Report. Gothenburg: The QoG Working Paper Series 2015:16 Suggested data citation: Nistotskaya, Marina, Anna Khakhunova and Carl Dahlström. 2015. Expert Survey on the Quality of Government in
    [Show full text]
  • DISCUSSION PAPER Public Disclosure Authorized
    SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS DISCUSSION PAPER Public Disclosure Authorized No. 1931 | MAY 2019 Public Disclosure Authorized Can Local Participatory Programs Enhance Public Confidence: Insights from the Local Initiatives Support Program in Russia Public Disclosure Authorized Ivan Shulga, Lev Shilov, Anna Sukhova, and Peter Pojarski Public Disclosure Authorized © 2019 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank 1818 H Street NW Washington DC 20433 Telephone: +1 (202) 473 1000 Internet: www.worldbank.org This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS The material in this work is subject to copyright. Because The World Bank encourages dissemination of its knowledge, this work may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for noncommercial purposes as long as full attribution to this work is given. Any queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to World Bank Publications, The World Bank Group, 1818 H Street NW, Washington,
    [Show full text]
  • World Bank Document
    110765-RU DOCUMENT OF THE WORLD BANK GROUP Public Disclosure Authorized FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Public Disclosure Authorized RUSSIAN FEDERATION SYSTEMATIC COUNTRY DIAGNOSTIC: PATHWAYS TO INCLUSIVE GROWTH DECEMBER 16, 2016 EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA REGION Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized This document has a restricted distribution and may be used by recipients only in the performance of their official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank authorization. i CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS Exchange Rate Effective December 6, 2016 Currency Unit – Ruble US$ 1 = Ruble 63.9242 FISCAL YEAR [January 1 – December 31] ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ALMP Active labor market programs GCI Global Competitiveness Index ANS Adjusted net savings GDP Gross domestic product ASI Agency for Strategic Initiatives GOST State standard (gosudarstvennyy standart in Russian) AVTODOR Russian Highways State Company GNRI Global Networked Readiness Index B40 Bottom 40 percent of the income GMM Generalized Method of Moments distribution statistical methodology BEEPS Business Environment and GRECO Group of States against Corruption Enterprise Performance Survey BRICS Brazil, Russia, India, China, and GVC Global value chains South Africa (emerging economies) CBR Central Bank of Russia HBS Household Budget Survey CIT Corporate income tax ICT Information and communications technology ECD Early childhood development IEA International Education Association DAI Digital Adoption Index IFC International Finance Corporation DIA Deposit Insurance
    [Show full text]
  • Human Rights in Russia: Challenges in the 21St Century ICRP Human Rights Issues Series | 2014
    Institute for Cultural Relations Policy Human Rights Issues Series | 2014 ICRP Human Rights Issues Series | 2014 Human rights in Russia: Challenges in the 21st century ICRP Human Rights Issues Series | 2014 Human rights in Russia: Challenges in the 21st century Author | Marija Petrović Series Editor | András Lőrincz Published by | Institute for Cultural Relations Policy Executive Publisher | Csilla Morauszki ICRP Geopolitika Kft., 1131 Budapest, Gyöngyösi u. 45. http://culturalrelations.org [email protected] HU ISSN 2064-2202 Contents Foreword 1 Introduction 2 Human rights in the Soviet Union 3 Laws and conventions on human rights 5 Juridical system of Russia 6 Human rights policy of the Putin regime 8 Corruption 10 Freedom of press and suspicious death cases 13 Foreign agent law 18 The homosexual question 20 Greenpeace activists arrested 24 Xenophobia 27 North Caucasus 31 The Sochi Olympics 36 10 facts about Russia’s human rights situation 40 For further information 41 Human rights in Russia: Challenges in the 21st century Human rights in Russia: Challenges in the 21st century Foreword Before presenting the human rights situation in Russia, it is important to note that the Institute for Cultural Relations Policy is a politically independent organisation. This essay was not created for condemning, nor for supporting the views of any country or political party. The only aim is to give a better understanding on the topic. On the next pages the most important and mainly most current aspects of the issue are examined, presenting the history and the present of the human rights situation in the Soviet Union and in Russia, including international opinions as well.
    [Show full text]
  • Russia and the World: the View from Moscow
    International Journal of Security Studies Volume 2 Issue 1 Article 1 2020 Russia and the World: The View from Moscow Daniel S. Papp Retired, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/ijoss Part of the Defense and Security Studies Commons, Military and Veterans Studies Commons, and the Peace and Conflict Studies Commons Recommended Citation Papp, Daniel S. (2020) "Russia and the World: The View from Moscow," International Journal of Security Studies: Vol. 2 : Iss. 1 , Article 1. Available at: https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/ijoss/vol2/iss1/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Nighthawks Open Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Journal of Security Studies by an authorized editor of Nighthawks Open Institutional Repository. Russia and the World: The View from Moscow Cover Page Footnote None This article is available in International Journal of Security Studies: https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/ijoss/ vol2/iss1/1 Introduction In 1939, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously observed that Russia was “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” Less remembered but equally significant is what Churchill said next: “Perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest."1 Much has changed in Russia and the world since 1939, but in many ways, Churchill’s observation is as valid today as it was then. What is Russia’s national interest? How do Russia’s leaders, especially Russian President Vladimir Putin, view their country’s national interest? And how can their viewpoints be determined? This is a challenging but not impossible task.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ukrainian Weekly, 2019
    INSIDE: l Reaction to PACE vote on Russia – page 7 l Travel to Ukraine: If you love Lviv… – page 11 l Ukraine wins 51 medals at European Games – page 13 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association, Inc., celebrating W its 125th anniversaryEEKLY Vol. LXXXVII No. 28 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 14, 2019 $2.00 Ukraine’s president Zelenskyy makes North American debut calls on Putin to meet at Ukraine Reform Conference in Toronto face-to-face for talks by Christopher Guly Special to The Ukrainian Weekly RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service OTTAWA – A global summit organized to KYIV – Ukrainian President Volody- support Ukraine’s reform process was the myr Zelenskyy has called on Russian logical venue for Ukraine’s new president President Vladimir Putin to talk. to make his first overseas trip and North In a July 8 video statement on American debut with Ukrainian First Lady Facebook, Mr. Zelenskyy said he was Olena Zelenska. ready to hold talks with Mr. Putin in the Attending the third annual Ukraine Belarusian capital, Minsk. Reform Conference in Toronto – a gather- “We need to talk? We do. Let us dis- ing of more than 800 representatives of 37 cuss who Crimea belongs to and who is countries and 10 international organiza- not there in Donbas,” the Ukrainian tions – along with receiving a red-carpet president said, adding that he wanted welcome, signing bilateral agreements and the leaders of the United States, obtaining further funding from the Germany, France and the United Canadian government made Volodymyr Kingdom present at the talks. Zelenskyy’s decision to interrupt his cam- Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • Print This Article
    Journal of Global Buddhism 2020, Vol.21 261–276 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.4147509 www.globalbuddhism.org ISSN: 1527-6457 (online) © The author(s) Special Focus: Bad Buddhism In Ulan-Ude, the multi-ethnic, multi-religious capital of Buryatia, most laypeople make use of “Buddhist counseling” (Rus. priyom u lamy), or various ritual, medical and other services that ameliorate illness and misfortune. Laypeople consult lamas about a range of issues from economic to familial matters, from imp attacks to joblessness. Such Buddhist counseling is one of the most common kind of interactions with Buddhist institutions and practices in Buryatia. At the same time, it is a deeply contested practice, as local critiques refer to the rise of “consumerist”, “commercialized”, “utilitarian” or “bad” Buddhism. This article explores Buddhist counseling as a site of value-laden negotiation of post-Soviet Buddhism. It looks at normative emic notions of good Buddhist practice and their translocal sources as well as social and historical context. Keywords: Buryatia; Buddhist counseling; divination; ritual; post-socialist Buddhism n summer 2015, I was starting fieldwork in Ulan-Ude, the capital of Buryatia.1 On one of my first days there, a Buryat friend invited me to his family outing to a Buddhist datsan2 outside of the city. On the way there, I talked with his grandmother Zoya,3 a Western Buryat who had lived in IUlan -Ude for most of her life. Like many Western Buryats in Ulan-Ude, she frequents Buddhist temples, but does not define herself as strictly Buddhist, identifying partially also with shamanism 1 The Republic of Buryatia is a federal subject of Russia located to the East of Lake Baikal in the Russian Far East.
    [Show full text]
  • Russia, NATO, and Black Sea Security for More Information on This Publication, Visit
    Russia, NATO, and Black Sea Security Russia, NATO, C O R P O R A T I O N STEPHEN J. FLANAGAN, ANIKA BINNENDIJK, IRINA A. CHINDEA, KATHERINE COSTELLO, GEOFFREY KIRKWOOD, DARA MASSICOT, CLINT REACH Russia, NATO, and Black Sea Security For more information on this publication, visit www.rand.org/t/RRA357-1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this publication. ISBN: 978-1-9774-0568-5 Published by the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif. © Copyright 2020 RAND Corporation R® is a registered trademark. Cover: Cover graphic by Dori Walker, adapted from a photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Weston Jones. Limited Print and Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions. The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. Support RAND Make a tax-deductible charitable contribution at www.rand.org/giving/contribute www.rand.org Preface The Black Sea region is a central locus of the competition between Russia and the West for the future of Europe.
    [Show full text]
  • Mobility and Sense of Place Among Youth in the Russian Arctic
    Mobility and Sense of Place among Youth in the Russian Arctic ALLA BOLOTOVA, ANASTASIA KARASEVA, AND VALERIA VASILYEVA Abstract: This article explores how the mobility of young people in- fluences their sense of place in different parts of the Russian Arctic. In globalization studies increasing mobility has often been set in oppo sition to belonging to place, and interpreted as diminishing local connections and ties. Recent studies show that the role of mobil- ity in shaping a sense of place is more complex. The Russian Arctic is often considered a remote, hard-to-access area, despite the fact that local residents have always been very mobile. We compare three case studies from across the Russian Arctic—namely, the Central Murmansk region, the Central Kolyma, and Eastern Taimyr—show- ing how mobility shapes differently young residents’ sense of place. These regions have a different population structure (urban / rural, polyethnic / monoethnic) and different transportation infrastructure, thus providing a good ground for comparing the relationships be- tween mobility and a sense of place in the Russian Arctic. Keywords: Magadan region, mobility, motility, Murmansk region, Russian Arctic, sense of place, Taimyr, transport infrastructure here are no roads in the North” is a common stereotype about “ the Russian Arctic.1 Social scientists working there often become annoyedT by this postulate, not only because it presumes an essential immobility of the local population that is far from reality, but also by the background idea that the Russian North is a uniform, homogeneous space that does not display significant differences across its several thousand kilometers. Anthropologists studying the Russian North face precisely the opposite problem: how best to compare the results of field research if social life varies so radically in different regions.
    [Show full text]