Issue 3 (64)
| STREET CAPITALISM IN RUSSIA: PRECONDITIONS AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE 1992 FREE TRADE DECREE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2019 | Number | 3(64) |
| Pages | 134-141 | Type | scientific article |
| UDC | 94(470)“1992” | BBK | 63.3(2)64-2 |
| Authors | Khlevniuk Oleg V. |
Topic | HISTORICAL AND ECONOMIC ETUDES |
| Summary | The article analyzes the phenomenon of street trading in the 1990s in the context of Russian transit to a market economy. After the President B. N. Yeltsin’s decree on freedom of trade (January 29, 1992), this branch of the Russian economy spread widely. The article discusses several interrelated issues: what were the preconditions of the January 29, 1992 law; what were the social and economic problems street trade solved at the first stage of reforms; how was it perceived by Russian society; how and under the influence of what factors did the street trade evolve. The article shows that, as a natural part of the Russian model of early capitalism, street trade played a significant role in demonopolization of the market system, supporting low-income customers (the majority of the population), and absorbed rising unemployment. At the same time, the free trade generated by the decree of January 29, 1992, and its subsequent modifications, were one of the phenomena of the initial, often criminal, Russian capitalism. | ||
| Keywords | 1990s reforms, trade freedom, street trade evolution, government regulation of trade, socio-economic functions of small trade | ||
| References |
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