I am an economic historian with expertise in economic growth and political economy. My research focuses on how non-democracies navigate the tension between economic development and political stability. I study the effects of institutions and policy interventions on productivity, technology adoption, and firm dynamics, and their interaction with popular loyalty and regime durability. The Russian Empire and Soviet Union are at the centre of my empirical work, offering uniquely preserved archives and rich variation across institutions and policies. I have published in international refereed journals, including the American Economic Review, Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of Economic Literature, Journal of Economic History, and Journal of Public Economics. I am currently a university lecturer at the University of Helsinki and a professor (on leave) at the New Economic School.
CV
Research
Working projects
"American Relief and the Soviet Famine of 1921-22," with Natalya Naumenko and Volha Charnysh.
"A Regional Perspective on the Economic Development of the late Russian Empire".
"The Effect of Western Technology on Soviet Industrial Development," with Torsten Santavirta
“Battle of Ideologies: Firm Dynamics and Productivity in Planned vs. Market Economies,” with Ufuk Akcigit, Richard Brauer, Javier Miranda, and Anna Zherdeva.
"Control through Empowerment: Evidence from Nation-Building in Soviet Central Asia," with Paul Castañeda Dower and Ekaterina Zhuravskaya.
“Factories, Frictions, and the Foundations of Growth: Microdata from the Russian Empire, 1795–1908,” with Marvin Suesse.
“Popular Support in Autocracies: Reversal of Political Preferences under Communism,” with Artyom Lipin and Timur Natkhov.
"Social Mobility and Persistence of Elites in Times of Regime Change:
Evidence from the 1917 Russian Revolution," with Tom Eeckhout and Koen Schoors.
"A Regional Perspective on the Economic Development of the late Russian Empire".
"The Effect of Western Technology on Soviet Industrial Development," with Torsten Santavirta
“Battle of Ideologies: Firm Dynamics and Productivity in Planned vs. Market Economies,” with Ufuk Akcigit, Richard Brauer, Javier Miranda, and Anna Zherdeva.
"Control through Empowerment: Evidence from Nation-Building in Soviet Central Asia," with Paul Castañeda Dower and Ekaterina Zhuravskaya.
“Factories, Frictions, and the Foundations of Growth: Microdata from the Russian Empire, 1795–1908,” with Marvin Suesse.
“Popular Support in Autocracies: Reversal of Political Preferences under Communism,” with Artyom Lipin and Timur Natkhov.
"Social Mobility and Persistence of Elites in Times of Regime Change:
Evidence from the 1917 Russian Revolution," with Tom Eeckhout and Koen Schoors.
Recently published
"Did Industrialization Increase Support for the Radical Left? Evidence from the 1917 Russian Revolution," with Paul Castañeda Dower. Journal of Comparative Economics, 2025, 53(4): 884-915.
"The Causes of Ukrainian Famine Mortality, 1932–33," with Natalya Naumenko and Nancy Qian. Revision. The Review of Economic Studies, 2025, 92(5): 3276-3305.
"The Value of a Statistical Life in a Dictatorship: Evidence from Stalin", with Paul Castañeda Dower and Shlomo Weber. European Economic Review. 2021, 133.
"The Causes of Ukrainian Famine Mortality, 1932–33," with Natalya Naumenko and Nancy Qian. Revision. The Review of Economic Studies, 2025, 92(5): 3276-3305.
"The Value of a Statistical Life in a Dictatorship: Evidence from Stalin", with Paul Castañeda Dower and Shlomo Weber. European Economic Review. 2021, 133.
Data
This repository brings together data extracted from various published and unpublished sources. Its principal focus is Russian economic and social history of the last three centuries (18th-21st). Data are gathered along seven principal lines of inquiry: population, labour, industrial output, agricultural output, services, capital, land. There are five cross-sections of Russian history: 1795, 1858, 1897, 1959, 2002. Data are available online for all interested users
Contacts
Unit of Economic and Social History, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki
PO 54 (Snellmaninkatu 14 A) 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
andrei.markevich@helsinki.fi
amarkevich@nes.ru
PO 54 (Snellmaninkatu 14 A) 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
andrei.markevich@helsinki.fi
amarkevich@nes.ru
