Socio-economic dependence on the state and voting in Russia

The paper explores a relationship between an individual's socio-economic dependence on the state and voting in Russia. Utilizing data from the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey of Higher School of Economics (RLMS-HSE) as well as expert interviews conducted in two Russian regions, the Republic of Tatarstan and Yaroslavl' Oblast, it attempts to determine whether socio-economic dependence on the state translates into a higher propensity to take part in elections and to vote for the rulers. The study accounts for various forms of dependence, and tries to identify those which predispose an individual to be a more frequent voter or to cast a vote for the party of power and its candidates. It also examines the mechanisms the state uses to mobilize electors. The results of the multilevel logistic regression show that there is a positive association between socio-economic dependence on the state and participation in elections, but only in regard to sector and formality of employment in the primary job, and pensioner status. At the same time, the results of the quantitative analysis speak in favour of rejecting the hypothesis stating that dependence on the state and its resources make dependent voters more likely to cast their votes for the ruling elites. Although the regression model does not provide evidence that other forms of dependence matter, expert interviews indicate that the state may also use such channels as education and health care to influence the voting behaviour of its citizens.