Inequality2
is a part of the economic reality of any society. It is also a constant focus of attention of
academic community, from time to time becoming a matter of heated social and political debates.
Social scientists consider the growth of income inequality as one of the major socio-economic risks
posed by globalization3
. Inequality issues have acquired a particular importance in connection with
the market transition of post-socialist countries, including Russia, where the ‘starting point’ of
transformation was the centrally planned economy. The characteristic feature of the transition
process has been a sharp increase in income inequality. In the late 1980s Russia, along with the
Scandinavian countries was in the group of states with a low level of income inequality4
. At present,
the scale of inequality in Russia is comparable to economies of Latin America. This note aims to
provide a comprehensive analysis of income inequality in Russia for the period since the beginning
of market reforms. The sources of data are both official macro-statistics and independent
sociological surveys.