Postsoviet Crimea village: social and economical transformation

The parade of sovereignties of 1991, in place of the Soviet Union, formed 15 independent states, including Ukraine. The new era of life of the Crimea society started from this time. The development of rural Crimea territories differed from other Ukrainian regions because of the specific features of the peninsula: ethnical diversity and polarization, natural restrictions for agriculture, little differences between lifestyle in towns and in villages. Economical reforms of post-soviet period changed rural territories some goals of the soviet government were obtained (for example reduction of socio-cultural gap between village and town). But because of the ineffective policy the crisis of the rural territories became deeper, economical difficulties added to the problems of rural territories. Inability of formal institutions to provide private ownership and maintenance of infrastructure, to fulfill their social obligations contributed to the formation of powerful informal institutions, that restrained migration from rural areas to cities like in the Black Earth Region. Habitants of the rural territories use different coping strategies. Rural market economy that changed planned economy in 1990 went in “shadow” because of the high transaction costs and passivity of fiscal authorities. The article continues Russian tradition of the monographic description of villages: the author studies the transformation of the economy of Crimea rural territories on the example of the village Novoalekseevka Krasnogvardeisky district, located in the steppe rural zone.

rural areas, Crimea, informal economy, unemployment, post-Soviet period, farming, agriculture