Hammer and Silicon The Soviet Diaspora in the US Innovation Economy — Immigration, Innovation, Institutions, Imprinting, and Identity

This deeply personal book tells the untold story of the significant contributions of technical professionals from the former Soviet Union to the US innovation economy, particularly in the sectors of software, social media, biotechnology, and medicine. Drawing upon in-depth interviews, it channels the voices and stories of more than 150 professionals who emigrated from 11 of the 15 former Soviet republics between the 1970s and 2015, and who currently work in the innovation hubs of Silicon Valley and Boston/Cambridge. Using the social science theories of institutions, imprinting, and identity, the authors analyze the political, social, economic, and educational forces that have characterized Soviet immigration over the past 40 years, showing how the particularities of the Soviet context may have benefited or challenged interviewees' work and social lives. The resulting mosaic of perspectives provides valuable insight into the impact of immigration on US economic development, specifically in high technology and innovation.

Introduction; 1. Theoretical foundations: institutions, imprinting, and identity; 2. Soviet political, economic, and social institutions: catalysts for migration; 3. Soviet educational institutions: capability for contribution; 4. Migration from the Former Soviet Union to the US: three waves 1972–2015; 5. Entrepreneurial spirit, creativity, and innovativeness: startups in the US; 6. Research, development, and applications in academic and industry settings; 7. Cultural adaptation: challenges and sources of support; 8. Workplace adaptation: developing soft skills; 9. Identity: a constellation of influences; 10. Conclusion: the impact of institutions, identity, and imprinting on the immigration and innovation process.

Sheila M. Puffer is University Distinguished Professor and Professor of International Business and Strategy at the D'Amore-McKim School of Business, Northeastern University, Boston. She served as Program Director of the Gorbachev Foundation of North America, and is an Associate at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University. Business and management in the former USSR are a major focus of her 160 publications, including Behind the Factory Walls: Decision Making in Soviet and US Enterprises (1990).
Daniel J. McCarthy is University Distinguished Professor and the Alan S. McKim and Richard A. D'Amore Distinguished Professor of Global Management and Innovation at the D'Amore-McKim School of Business, Northeastern University, Boston. He is also an Associate at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University. He has over 110 publications, including four editions of Business Policy and Strategy (1983), as well as Business and Management in Russia (1996), The Russian Capitalist Experiment (2000), and Corporate Governance in Russia (2004).
Daniel M. Satinsky is an attorney, business consultant, and independent scholar, and an Associate at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University. He served as Board President of the US-Russia Chamber of Commerce of New England, Inc., from 2001 to 2016. He is editor of the Buyer's Guide to the Russian IT Outsourcing Industry (2006) and author of the chapter 'Industrial Giants, Entrepreneurs, and Regional Government: The Changing Business Environment in Yaroslavl' Oblast, 1990–1999', amongst other publications.