Loosening Links? School-to-Work Transitions and Institutional Change in Russia since 1970

The article analyzes variation in the association between education and first occupational class (the "EC association") among Russians from four consecutive labor force entry cohorts spanning 1970-2000 and by sex. Cross-national comparative research suggests that national institutions affect the magnitude of the EC association. However, loglinear models provide no support for the view that the institutional changes associated with the demise of the Soviet system influenced the pattern or magnitude of the EC association in Russia. The only changes in the EC association predated the major institutional changes. The findings confirm research showing continuity in other aspects of stratification in post-Soviet Russia despite rapid institutional changes connected with market transition. Although there are several alternative explanations for the lack of change in the EC association, the null results suggest that the relationship between institutional arrangements and patterns of stratification is not as straightforward as cross-sectional analyses might suggest. Structural forces and policies also shape patterns of stratification, both independently of and in conjunction with institutions.