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Private Wealth in Russian Society and Economy

It seems that in Russia, business and philanthropy still operate together; these are no doubt the products of centuries-old socialist ideologies. For example, the baron Stieglitz, an industrialist, founded in 1876 a well-known school in the field of decorative arts; he assembled an exceptional collection to guide the professional development of his students. His school offers a very beautiful, well-appointed museum open to the public. Its galleries and buildings boast of rich Italian decor; works of famous artists from St. Petersburg, some of whom graduated from the school, can be bought from a small museum shop.

Contrary to many cases in the developed world, this institution is founded and maintained by the wealth of a private individual. Thus, the school is a shining example of what the higher income members of a society can contribute to the betterment of their fellow residents. Russia is an emerging country, hence there is more wealth for everybody, but there are still less privileged members of society who depend heavily on the government or private groups for their survival. Equitable development is another issue, but at least in this case, the rich are not waiting for the calls of the government before they act and do something for their community.

While the old rich go about their philantrophic works, the new rich people also seem to have found place of privilege in St. Petersburg since the city is oriented towards exporting products to Europe. As a result, Russian economy has enjoyed impressive growth of twice more than the national average; this wealth shows in the way people dress and in the way people eat. Most of the people are employed in the production of ships, arms, heavy machinery, and electric equipment. The government is also actively pursuing the development of the service sectors.

On the other hand, one-third of the population can still be classified as middle income, while one-third still remain below poverty level and often live in communal apartments with very basic amenities. Not really good but not really bad, considering the late entry of the country into global free trade and the late adoption of market-driven policies.

If people remember, the city was already industrialized in the late twentieth century, but it has become a major source of pollution for the Baltic Sea. However, huge investments have been made in the construction of sewer treatment plants and water purification facilities; private enterprises have answered the call for more stringent pollution monitoring and increased employees working in the relevant disciplines. Hopefully, these projects will result in cleaner environment and more satisfactory processes for the treatment of waste, so that Russia can enjoy its continuing path to social and economic progress.

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