Russia s Descent into Latin America

Fred Weir The belief of many Russians and most western observers is that after a period of painful readjustment to market economics Russia will undoubtedly take on the broad outlines of a developed and thoroughly westernised society. This article pictures a very different possible future: the danger that Russia could wind up with a 'Latin American' economy and social structure. Roughly speaking, this would be characterised by a thin stratum of rich compr adore businessmen, a small, undeveloped and dependent middle class and a huge, shifting mass of underemployed and chronically impoverished workers.