Risking their Lives: Moral, Cultural and Structural Accounts of Counterfeit Alcohol Consumption in Contemporary Russia

• In Event: 383 - Section on Consumers and Consumption Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 02. Gender in Domestic and Public Spheres

Abstract

Counterfeiting has become a global challenge but received little attention in sociology. The paper aims to reveal connections between consumer risk, consumer choice and social structure in the context of counterfeit alcohol consumption. Different forms of counterfeiting are taken into account. Theoretically, the paper is inspired by Bourdieu and moral economy perspective. Empirically, the paper focuses on alcohol, which refers to common targets of counterfeiting as well as branded clothes and audio products in contemporary Russia. The research is based on the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS-HSE), an annual nationwide panel survey designed to monitor the health and economic welfare of households and individuals in the Russian Federation. The research findings demonstrate that the majority of Russians believe that counterfeit alcohol may cause death. Nevertheless, the percentage of counterfeit alcohol drinkers consumed it deliberately is higher than one could expect. Cultural and structural factors account for the consumption of counterfeit alcohol. Counterfeit alcohol consumption is associated with hazardous alcohol drinkers and homemade alcohol drinkers who tend to ignore trademarks and the taste of alcoholic beverages. Social networks play a significant role in consumption of counterfeit alcohol: they reduce uncertainty derived from the ignorance to trademarks and serve as warranties of harmless consumption of low quality alcohol. Counterfeit alcohol consumers are highly likely to represent lower classes. The paper discusses how alcohol drinkers’ involvement into counterfeit consumption is guided by moral values including use-value logic and masculine attitudes to physical risks.

Author

• Zoya Kotelnikova, National Research University-Higher School of Economics