Andrey Shevchuk

Faculty of Sociology | Department of Economic Sociology: Associate Professor
Laboratory for Studies in Economic Sociology: Senior Research Fellow

Education and degrees

Candidate of science: Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (defended in 2001, speciality: Economic Theory)

Master: Moscow Higher School of Social and Economic Sciences (graduated in 1997)

Diploma: Academy of National Economy under the Government of the Russian Federation (graduated in 1996)

Fields of interests

Economic Sociology
Sociology of Work
Sociology of Economic Development
Comparative Institutional Analysis, Comparative Political Economy, Varieties of Capitalism

Teaching

Economic Sociology
Sociology of Economic Development
Comparative economic systems

Research projects

- Boundaries of the Firm: integration and control of the external labor force. (2010-2012). Individual research project.

- Social ties, reputation and trust on the e-markets (2010-2011). Collective research project, the head of the research team.

The research project is devoted to the social structure of the e-markets for freelance services. The development of ICT and especially the Internetcreate new possibilities for individual economic activity. They allow more work autonomy beyond formal organizations and facilitate effective coordination in virtual space without face-to-face contacts.Millions of independent service providers (software and website developers, designers, writers, engineers and business consultants) all over the world are involved in rapidly growing e-markets for freelance services. They are organized around online marketplaces (such as Elance.com, Guru.com and Free-lance.ru). These online resources not only bring together service sellers and buyers, but also standardize and regulate business relations by creating principal market institutions to support quality, guarantee contract obligations and create trust. But it turns to be not enough.Ties between freelancers and their clients are not established as arm’s-length but largely as embedded ties. Social capital of freelancers becomes an effective instrument for finding the clients, raising earned income and reducing the moral hazards of opportunism.

Research team: D.Strebkov, A.Stachmich, M.Markin, S.Lagun.

- Beyond the autonomy: dependent self-employment (2009-2010). Individual research project.

- Self-employment in information economy: developing new forms of work in Russia (2008-2009). Collective research project.

- Comparative economic systems: the state of art (2007-2008). Individual research project.

- Freelancers: employment strategies and motivation (2006-2007). Collective research project, the head of the research team.

- The future of work & employment (2005-2006). Individual research project.

Publications

Shevchuk A., Strebkov D. Freelancers in the Russian Labor Market // Sociological Studies. 2010. №2.

Abstract. The article deals with the remote forms of freelance work in the information society. Self-employed professionals use Internet for work search, results transmission, business communication and payments. Empirical data are provided through online survey at Free-lance.ru in 2008 which is one of the largest surveys of the kind in the world. The social and demographic description of freelancers, professional structure, work values, advantages and disadvantages of freelance, organization of work and financial behavior are discussed.

Keywords:information economy, online survey, freelancers, work values, organization of work, financial behavior.

Shevchuk A., Strebkov D. Freelancers in E-markets: A Role of Social Ties // Economic Sociology. 2009. Vol.10. №5. P. 11-32.

Abstract. The study deals with e-markets for self-employed professionals (freelancers). These highly competitive markets emerge in a still weakly regulated cyberspace with virtual interactions. However, market ties between freelancers and their clients are not established as arm’s-length but largely as embedded ties. Social capital of freelancers becomes an effective instrument for fi nding the clients, raising earned income and reducing the moral hazards of opportunism. Empirical data are collected from an online standardized survey of more than 8 thousand freelancers, conducted by the authors in December 2008 at Free-lance.ru.

Keywords:self-employment; freelancers; e-markets; social capital.

Shevchuk A. The Models of Market Economy: social values, ideologies, institutions. // Voprosy kulturologii (cultural studies), 2009. № 1-2.

Abstract. The article deals with the problem of various social values and ideologies which determine an economic behavior and are embodied in institutional structures. A rough classification of contemporary market economies includes the liberal model (USA, UK and other Anglo-Saxon countries) and the non-liberal model (continental Europe and Japan). Different notions of market functions, property, freedom and social justice affect state policies, corporative governance, and labor relation. «Globalization» is another ideological issue of the day.

Keywords:comparative political economy,varieties of capitalism, ideology.