2026. Vol. 27. No. 1

This paper represents the first comprehensive analysis of the impact of the second wave of foreign sanctions on informal employment in the Russian labour market. It focuses on changes in the structure of various types of informal employment in 2022−2023, as well as on an assessment of the possible impact of sanctions on the dynamics of the probability of informal employment, which allows to clarify the reaction of the Russian labour market to large-scale sanctions pressure and adaptation to it. The general analytical framework of the study is based on theoretical approaches and empirical works that consider changes in the level of informal employment depending on the stages of the economic cycle. The results, obtained on the basis of the RLMS HSE data, indicate that the initial reaction of the Russian labour market in 2022 is accompanied by an increase in the share of both formal and informal workers in the overall structure of the population, while already in 2023 the overall level of informal employment and its characteristics return to pre-sanction values, and the share of formal workers continues to grow. This process is explained by the short-term movement of workers between formal and informal jobs (for example, to various forms of self-employment and individual entrepreneurship) after losing their job or in search for higher earnings, which is again replaced by formal employment as enterprises adapt to the sanctions pressure. The identified dynamics of informal employment was concentrated in certain economic sectors—the public sector, construction, as well as in the housing and communal services and social services. At the same time, the estimation of dynamic multinomial logit models did not reveal any independent effect of sanctions on the probability of informal employment of various types, confirming that it was accumulated in specific industries. Sanctions pressure in 2022−2023, all other things being equal, also did not lead to an increase in the risks of job loss (transition to unemployment or inactivity state) after previous employment—in contrast to the period of the COVID crisis, they generally either remained stable or decreased.

The aim of this study is to assess the impact of various factors, including social networks, on labor market mobility in modern Russia. The main assumption is that weak ties facilitate taking a better job. The empirical base consists of data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS) of HSE for 2016–2017 and 2018–2019. Based on exploratory factor analysis, indicators of different types of social ties were constructed: weak ties include ties with acquaintances and colleagues; with organizations; online networks; and strong ties include ties with friends and relatives. Binary logistic regression estimated the chances of the unemployed going to work, while multinomial logistic regression assessed the chances of employed people for vertical and horizontal interfirm and intrafirm mobility, as well as transitions to unemployment or inactivity. Men, people with higher education, and lower specific work experience are more inclined to labor mobility. The best opportunities for intra-firm growth are among those employed by state enterprises and those holding a higher position. The study found a significant positive effect of increased education and improved health on mobility, a negative effect of health deterioration, and a higher propensity for mobility among those dissatisfied with their current job. Granovetter’s assumption about a greater influence of weak social ties on the ability to get a good job could not be confirmed, although due to the instability of the results, it cannot be refuted either. The model estimates showed a stable and equally strong effect of both strong (with friends) and weak (with acquaintances, former colleagues, neighbors) ties on the chances of finding a job for the unemployed, as well as a negative effect of online social networks on the chances of becoming inactive for the employed. No effect of social connections on intra-firm growth was found, and the effect of online networks on inter-firm promotion was inconsistent.

The book “Acceleration and Cultural Changes: Dialogues from an Overheated World” features dialogues between leading anthropologist Thomas Hylland Eriksen and young scholar Martina Visentin. This volume aims to introduce academic and non-academic readers to a novel approach to globalization capable of synthesizing and interpreting social change that has been happening at lightning speed, unequally and unevenly. According to Professor Eriksen, the social issue is that modernity faced accelerating processes of change and various developments that are growing and accelerating without a thermostat, without a regulating mechanism which tells them it’s time to stop. Using overheating as a metaphor for unregulated acceleration since the 1990s, the authors discuss key topics including biodiversity loss, migration-driven differences, climate intersections, heated identities and protests, digital time perception, university pressures, youth disillusionment, and post-COVID reflections.
The Journal of Economic Sociology publishes the seventh chapter, “Life in the Digital World,” where the authors explore smartphones’ role in reshaping daily social life rhythms.

In the context of the growing demand for psychological services in Russia and the spread of therapeutic culture, digital platforms like YouTube are becoming a key locus for the commercialization of emotions. However, the mechanisms of commodification, particularly concerning happiness, remain underexplored in this digital environment. This article examines how popular Russian psychological bloggers on YouTube construct, package, and commodify the abstract concept of ‘happiness’ as a standardized commodity, which we term an ‘emodity.’ The research employs a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, combining quantitative (content analysis and thematic modeling of 118 videos) and qualitative (analysis of rhetorical and performative strategies) approaches. The analysis reveals four dominant marketing personas—‘academic’, ‘esoteric’, ‘caring’, and ‘hybrid’. These are built upon three primary performative goals: establishing authority (via science, wisdom, or personal experience), diagnosing consumer problems (often by invoking Soviet history or gender stereotypes), and presenting distinct ‘emodity’ packages (conceptualized as either reflective psychology or positive psychology). Furthermore, these strategies correspond to different models of audience engagement, aimed at either maximizing reach, cultivating loyalty, or generating viral content. The study adapts and applies the concept of ‘emodities’ to the Russian therapeutic culture, describing how the Western individualistic therapeutic narrative becomes ‘commensurate’ with the post-Soviet social imaginary. The article contributes to economic sociology by demonstrating how the digital market for emotions transforms collective social anxieties into individualized consumer practices.

The socio-economic situation in small towns in Russia has long been at the center of the management agenda. The contradictory nature of support measures for such settlements lies in attempts to focus on the economic and managerial aspects of their efficiency. At the same time, both scientific literature and management practice pay insufficient attention to the typology of economic activity and living conditions of local societies, social and status relations, and many other non-economic factors that play an important role in the functioning and development of small towns. Sources of small-town development are most often associated with external investments and related support measures, while internal sources remain on the periphery of scientific interest. This article attempts to explore the social potential of a small town through the new lens the activities of “grassroots” sustainability agents that constitute the core of the social potential for sustainable development of a small town. The authors consider “grassroots” agents of sustainability as initiators of changeboth individuals and groupswho use their power, knowledge, experience, and relations for the development of the local environment and society. They include entrepreneurs (creative, institutional, social), representatives of government and civil society (NGOs), and public opinion leaders. The article concludes that it is necessary to explore the structure of “grassroots” sustainability agents in the development of small towns with limited opportunities for external investment. The results of such studies will expand the understanding of the social potential for sustainable development of small towns and thereby create an information base for making effective management decisions.

Amidst the ongoing crisis of social mobility and pronounced differentiation within the Russian higher education sector, investigating perceptions of inequality and mobility experiences among socially disadvantaged groups becomes particularly relevant. This study analyzes patterns of subjective upward mobility and stratification beliefs among first-generation students (FGS)—individuals without familial experience of higher education compared to other youth groups distinguished by their own and their parents’ educational backgrounds. The focus lies on the perceived barriers and drivers of life success and their relation to subjective mobility experiences.
The empirical foundation is drawn from waves 9–10 (2020–2021) of the longitudinal study “Trajectories in Education and Careers,” which provides data on a contemporary cohort of Russian youth. Using binary logistic regression, we examine the likelihood of subjective upward mobility in connection with accumulated educational capital and stratification beliefs regarding success resources.
Findings reveal that FGS perceive higher education is as a critical social elevator. Notably, embracing a ‘dual consciousness’—assigning equal importance to both individual agency and structural factors—proves especially advantageous for FGS’s subjective upward mobility. Furthermore, FGS status acts as a key mediator linking stratification beliefs and mobility outcomes within groups sharing either similar individual educational attainment (higher education) or comparable parental educational background. This research offers significant contributions to the conceptualization of FGS in the Russian context and enhances understanding of the internal heterogeneity within the population of university graduates.

Eric Hanushek and Ludger Woessmann’s The Knowledge Capital of Nations: Education and the Economics of Growth (2015; in Russian: 2022) presents a comprehensive examination of the relationship between educational quality and long-term economic development. The authors argue that traditional quantitative indicators, such as average years of schooling or enrolment rates, are insufficient to capture the true contribution of human capital to economic growth. Instead, they propose a shift in focus towards qualitative dimensions of education, emphasising cognitive skills— the capacity for critical thinking, problem-solving, adaptability, and the assimilation of new knowledge. This set of abilities, which they define as knowledge capital, is identified as the principal factor underpinning sustained economic prosperity and the competitiveness of nations.
The book integrates various theoretical frameworks of human capital— including the neoclassical model, endogenous growth theory, and the concept of technological diffusion— to demonstrate that cognitive skills stimulate innovation and productivity. Empirical analyses based on international assessments such as PISA, TIMSS, and PIRLS provide robust evidence of the enduring link between the level of cognitive skills in the population and countries’ economic performance.
The authors also highlight the institutional conditions necessary for improving educational quality, recommending policies that simultaneously raise basic skills across the population while nurturing high-achieving students.
Although primarily written for specialists in economics and education, the book also addresses policymakers engaged in shaping education systems and development strategies.
At the same time, this review highlights some limitations of the authors’ approach. These include the role of soft skills, socio-psychological attributes, and the importance of social capital in shaping human potential. Furthermore, the book gives limited consideration to the impact of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, which, while enhancing productivity in the short term, may weaken cognitive capacities over the longer horizon. This emerging challenge calls for a rethinking of strategies for developing the intellectual capital of future generations.