Abstract/Summary

Can entrepreneurial activity be stronger and more persistent than the continuity of socialist institutions? The answer to this question is overwhelmingly positive. Using the historical data on entrepreneurship, retail trade and cooperatives in Russian regions, this study shows a strong persistence of entrepreneurship activity in Russia during the period 1926–2018, while we also evidence that the restructuring of the Soviet economy resulted in a structural break in the 1970s. By distinguishing three periods of 1998–99, 2000–07 and 2008–18 since the transition started, we demonstrate that the historical persistence of entrepreneurship is not constant and may change from one period to another.