Unequality of opportunity in post-soviet countries: empirical research

The aim of the study is to measure inequality of opportunity in 12 post-Soviet countries, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Estonia. The research is based on data from the Life in Transition project, wave 2022-2023. The following circumstances are taken into account: parents’ education, gender, and place of birth. According to the calculations, the highest level of inequality of opportunity among the post-Soviet countries is in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the lowest – in Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan. Russia ranks 6th among 12 countries. In addition, there is a significant variation in the contribution of various circumstances to the inequality of opportunity in the post-Soviet countries. In Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, and Lithuania, the greatest contribution is made by gender, in Armenia, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Russia, and Tajikistan – parents’ education, in Uzbekistan – the individual’s place of birth. Overall, studying inequality of opportunity deepens our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the formation and reproduction of inequality and can therefore be useful for developing social policies to combat poverty and excessive inequality.