Key factors of the civil servants’ pay in Russia and Great Britain

Abstract

The article compares civil servants’ payment systems and wage levels in the Russian Federation and the United Kingdom, and identifies the factors affecting the civil servants’ pay level in both countries. With comparable civil servants’ payment levels in terms of purchasing power in Russia and Great Britain, there are differences in structural elements of payment and the fields of activity that are highly paid. The study is based on data analysis of the RF Ministry of Labour and the UK Office for National Statistics concerning civil servants’ pay levels in central offices of federal executive bodies of the Russian Federation and central public bodies of the UK. The comparative analysis shows that civil servants’ payment in Russia is significantly higher than that in Great Britain in such fields as security, defense, justice, legal proceedings, construction, housing and utilities, and statistics. In Great Britain, by contrast, civil servants are paid more than in Russia in speres of education, science, culture, tourism, media, industry and economics. Based on theories and studies reviewed, the article provides an econometric analysis of factors affecting the civil servants’ pay level in Russia and Great Britain. Regression analysis identifies statistically significant institutional, gender and age factors which determine the high level of the civil servants’ pay in both countries, for example, activities in financial, tax and customs spheres in Russia or work in small-size public bodies in Great Britain.