The structure of the question implies that the issue of poverty in Russia is not new. Therefore, first of all this paper will concentrate on analysing the income distribution in Soviet Russia and its impact on creating a new class system in the transition years. Later, I will describe the groups of Russian society most likely to live in poverty, namely the group of working poor and the unemployed. Finally, it will be necessary to answer what measures should be applied in order to tackle poverty. Despite socialist propaganda to the contrary, the Soviet Union had a very...
it extremely hard to adjust to the requirements of the market economy. Another thing is that most of them are discouraged from undertaking private businesses by the unstable macroeconomic situation, the lack of a rule of law and badly-functioning financial institutions. Many of those that recently found themselves in poverty, possess obsolete skills that are not required by the modern economy. In Soviet times many workers obtained vocational training, usually involving rather narrow job skills. Nowadays, they find it hard to retrain or find assistance with business plans, as government funds are not readily available, especially for older workers.