Overview of Project

Overview

This research project was designed to test the extent to which norms of fairness and trust remained in transitional Republics in the Russian Federation. We thought that the combination of strong interethnic conflict (between Russian Slavs and titular groups), weak economic institutions and transitional political institutions would lead to relatively little trust and a decline in norms of fairness. Tatarstan and Sakha (Yakutia) were thought to be particularly valuable places in which to conduct this research. Both are resource rich, both have strong ethnic groups and both have a recent history of pursuing independence from the central government.

The research used a combination of face-to-face interviews of a random sample of respondents from each Republic. A sub-sample of those respondents were chosen to participate in laboratory experiments in which their behavior in trust games could be measured.

The research was conducted from April through September, 2002.
Preliminary Findings (Jan. 15, 2004):

  • There is considerable inter-ethnic hostility. It shows up in stereotypes concerning the ethnicity of others and complaints about ethnic discrimination.
  • Despite the level of inter-ethnic hostility, it does not have direct effects on levels of trust or adherence to norms of fairness.
  • Norms of fairness and levels of trust are related to generational differences. The generations have very different expectations for behavior and these differences show up in both the survey instruments and the experimental tests.
  • The youngest cohort faces a number of cross pressures, decreasing the value of ethnicity as a primary means for mobilizing their support.