Job Rights in Russian Firms: Endangered or Extinct Institution?

Abstract

Did the Soviet institution of job rights, guaranteed employment despite individual or firm performance, survive the initial stages of transition in the Russian economy? This paper employs survey data collected in 1992 and 1995 to evaluate the extent to which job rights continued to influence the behavior of firms and households three years after Russia inititated its reform program. Using a variety of measures, the results indicate that, while job rights might have been an endangered institution in 1995, the institution does not appear to have been rendered extinct.