A group of well-known Russian and foreign
economists conducted a survey in order to find out what
sort of people become businessmen in Russia. It turns
out that our businessmen are smarter, better-educated,
harder-working and more optimistic than their fellow
citizens. They are also more concerned about giving
something back to society.
The study defined entrepreneurs as the
owners or co-owners of a business that employs no fewer
than five people.
More than grades went into the
assessment of respondents' intelligence. The survey was
more of a test of honesty and self-appraisal.
Respondents were given a series of simple, logical
problems, which they had to solve on the spot.
Entrepreneurs arrived at their answers far more quickly
than others. And their grades were also relatively
high.
This shouldn't come as a surprise, since
entrepreneurs in Russia are usually the children of
educated parents. Their childhood environment also plays
a major role. The childhood friends of businessmen are
far more likely to go into business themselves than the
friends of non-businessmen. Parents' Soviet-era
political views also come into play, however
contradictory this may appear at first glance. The
Communist Party didn't exactly cultivate an
entrepreneurial spirit among its members, to say the
least.
When asked, "If you won $5 million in
the lottery, would you stop working?" only one
entrepreneur in five said "yes." Of respondents not
involved in business, nearly half said they would quit
their jobs. While the desire to make more money was a
factor in the entrepreneurs' responses, most said they
wouldn't quit because they love their work. It may be
that businessmen simply have a better idea of what $5
million is really worth -- not all that much, in fact,
just pocket change for a generous soul.
The study also included questions about
the relationship between business and the government at
the federal and regional levels, corruption and the
courts. Surprisingly, respondents from all walks of life
shared a basic understanding of the rules of the game,
though businessmen are less troubled by corruption and
bribery. Businessmen also proved somewhat greedier and
less risk-averse than mere mortals, but when you think
about it, this is probably a good thing.
The survey team -- including Yekaterina
Zhuravskaya, academic director at the Center for
Economic and Financial Research -- plans to conduct
similar studies in Brazil, India, China and Nigeria. The
results will determine if Russian entrepreneurs really
are the most enterprising in the world -- or perhaps the
best educated and most intelligent.
Konstantin Sonin is an assistant
professor at the New Economic School/CEFIR.
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