New Publications on Democracy in Russia and 2D:4D Reseach

Research collectives of CInSt groups "Historical Roots and Economic Significance of Social Capital" and "Human Capital, Institutions, and Development" shared results of their work

• Gaber, E., Polishchuk, L., Sokolov, K., & Stukal, D. (2019). Chronicles of a democracy postponed. Economics of Transition and Institutional Change, 27(1), 99–137.

Аннотация
We explain a lack of civic culture in today's Russia, closely related to a democratic deficit in the country, by a path dependency which has originated at the critical juncture of transition to market economy. Suppression of democracy in the early 1990s to expedite unpopular reform exposed the new institutional order to oligarchic capture and set in motion a vicious circle of extractive economic and political institutions. The latter have been shaping views and attitudes in the society via institutional learning, continuously suppressing civic culture and solidifying social foundations for extractive institutions. We present evidence from the World Values Survey supporting the above conclusions.

• Nye, J. V. C., Bryukhanov, M., & Polyachenko, S. (2019). 2D:4D and individual satisfaction: Evidence from the Russian social survey. Personality and Individual Differences, 142, 85–89.

Аннотация
Is in utero exposure to testosterone (approximated by finger 2D:4D ratio) correlated with the perception of well-being? The question matters for understanding the role of non-cognitive determinants of economic behavior. We use unique data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS-HSE) that contains markers for testosterone exposure and find support for the correlation between female 2D:4D and average measures of subjective well-being which include: satisfaction with life, work, wage and economic conditions, and with opportunity for professional growth. The most conclusive results are obtained for the digit ratios of women's right hands. Both linear negative and inverse U-shaped associations were significant subject to multiple controls. U-shaped relationships are also observed in the limited number of regressions for males. Even though the data sets do not allow us to account for problems of endogeneity, the regression analyses suggest that the net direct effect of 2D:4D is small but statistically significant.