Popular Attitudes Towards Markets and Democracy: Russia and United States Compared 25 Years Later

Maxim Boycko and Robert Shiller

No 2030, Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers from Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University

Abstract: We repeat a survey we did in the waning days of the Soviet Union (Shiller, Boycko and Korobov, AER 1991) comparing attitudes towards free markets between Moscow and New York. Additional survey questions, from Gibson Duch and Tedin (J. Politics 1992) are added to compare attitudes towards democracy. Two comparisons are made: between countries, and through time, to explore the existence of international differences in allegiance to democratic free-market institutions, and the stability of these differences. While we find some differences in attitudes towards markets across countries and through time, we do not find most of the differences large or significant. Our evidence does not support a common view that the Russian personality is fundamentally illiberal or non-democratic.

Keywords: free markets; democratic values; fair prices; income inequality; incentives; hostility towards business; Moscow; New York; transition economy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O57 P10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 33 pages
Date: 2016-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cis, nep-pol and nep-tra
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Published in American Economic Review (May 2016)

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Journal Article: Popular Attitudes toward Markets and Democracy: Russia and United States Compared 25 Years Later (2016)
Working Paper: Popular Attitudes towards Markets and Democracy: Russia and United States Compared 25 Years Later (2016)
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