Resumen
In recent years, China’s and Russia’s middle classes have been mushrooming in size and appetite for fine goods, feeding the global luxury industry. While sharing many similarities, such as a common authoritarian, communist heritage, China’s and Russia’s consumers are marked by differences, social, cultural and economic. This research endeavor will flesh out these differences and similarities in a multicultural, multifaceted and necessarily multidisciplinary fashion. This paper will explore the capabilities and preferences of Russia’s and China’s rising middle classes, as well as variables affecting consumer behavior, in a comparative study. Given the breadth of the subject matter, this research paper draws from a variety of sources in political and economic history, economic theory, macroeconomic evidence, cultural, psychological and sociological concepts, and news media.