Developments in Russian Politics 5

by White, Stephen; Pravda, Alex; Gitelman, Zvi Y.

• ISBN13: 9780822327707
• ISBN10: 0822327708
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-08-01
• Publisher: Duke Univ Pr

Summary

Russia has a new parliament and a new president, and the shape of its future political life remains uncertain. Taking the elections of 1999 and 2000 as their starting point, the contributors to Developments in Russian Politics 5 describe the institutional framework of the post -- Yeltsin system and examine the policy choices that confront the Putin administration. This completely revised edition includes new discussions of such topics as media and political communication, crime and corruption, and Russia's continuing search for a 'national idea.' Other sections cover elections and electoral procedures, parties and organized interests, as well as economic, social, and foreign policy.

Written by leading scholars from both sides of the Atlantic, Developments in Russian Politics 5 will replace earlier editions as the leading text for students of Russia and for a wider group of readers seeking a reliable and up-to-date introduction to the politics of the world's largest country.

Author Biography

Stephen White is Professor of Politics and a Senior Associate of the Institute of Central and East European Studies at the University of Glasgow Alex Pravda is Director of the Russian and East European Centre and Fellow at St. Antony's College, Oxford University Zvi Gitelman is Professor of Political Science and Preston Tisch Professor of Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables	ix
Preface	x
Notes on the Contributors	xi
List of Abbreviations	xv
Glossary of Terms	xvi
From Communism to Democracy?	1	(20)
Stephen White
The Failure of Communist Reform	3	(7)
Constructing Postcommunism	10	(11)
Part One: The Framework of Government
The Presidency: From Yeltsin to Putin	21	(21)
John P. Willerton Jr
Tradition of Strong Executives	23	(1)
Yeltsin and the Forging of the Post-Soviet Presidency	24	(3)
Institutional Arrangements	27	(7)
Informal Prerogatives and Power Realities	34	(4)
Putin and the Russian Federation's Second Decade	38	(4)
Parliamentary Politics in Russia	42	(20)
Thomas F. Remington
The RSFSR Transition-Era Parliament	44	(1)
Boris Yeltsin and the Crisis of 1993	45	(3)
The Federal Assembly	48	(7)
The Legislative Process in the Federal Assembly	55	(5)
The Federal Assembly in Perspective	60	(2)
Elections and Voters	62	(22)
Matthew Wyman
The Electoral Process	63	(3)
Trends in Parliamentary Elections	66	(4)
The 2000 Presidential Election	70	(5)
Social Characteristics of Voters	75	(5)
Regional Voting Trends	80	(2)
Conclusions	82	(2)
Parties and Organised Interests	84	(24)
Richard Sakwa
The Emergence of Pluralism	84	(9)
Civil Society Today	93	(4)
Problems of Social Representation in Contemporary Russia	97	(9)
Conclusion	106	(2)
Russia and the Rule of Law	108	(20)
Gordon B. Smith
Communist Legacy	108	(3)
Drafting the Rules	111	(1)
`If You Build It, They Will Come'	112	(14)
Conclusion	126	(2)
From Federalisation to Recentralisation	128	(19)
James Hughes
Defining Federalism	128	(3)
Limiting Conditions for Ethnic Separatism	131	(4)
Presidentialism and Patrimonial Federalism	135	(2)
Chechnya and the Failure of Refederalisation	137	(2)
Putin's Federal Recentralisation	139	(5)
Conclusion	144	(3)
Politics in the Regions	147	(24)
Darrell Slider
Institutional Development in the Regions	148	(8)
The Fate of Reform in Russian Regions	156	(10)
Putin and the Prospects for Reform	166	(5)
Part Two: Patterns of Public Policy
Economic Policy under Yeltsin and Putin	171	(19)
William Tompson
Gaidar's Inheritance	172	(2)
The Liberalism of Weak States	174	(5)
Structural Weakness and the August Collapse	179	(3)
Policy Trade-offs and the Micro/Macro Conundrum	182	(4)
The Role of the West: Financing Non-Reform	186	(1)
An Agenda for Putin	187	(3)
Health and Health Care Policy	190	(25)
Judith Shapiro
Three Crises Maturing	191	(6)
The Crisis of the Virtual Post-Soviet Health Care System	197	(5)
Russian Health and Mortality	202	(3)
The Soviet Legacy and the Russian Inheritance	205	(5)
Maturing Crisis	210	(3)
Social Policy: Plus Ca Change?	213	(2)
Foreign Policy	215	(24)
Alex Pravda
Russia and the `Near Abroad'	215	(9)
Russia and the `Far Abroad'	224	(15)
Part Three: Current Issues
Crime and Corruption	239	(15)
Louise Shelley
Crime and Criminals	240	(3)
Corruption	243	(4)
Organised Crime	247	(5)
Conclusion	252	(2)
Politics and the Media	254	(15)
Sarah Oates
Media in the Soviet Era	254	(2)
The Growth of Television	256	(1)
Glasnost and the Russian Media	257	(3)
The Russian Media in an Emerging Nation	260	(3)
Bias in the Russian Media	263	(4)
Conclusions	267	(2)
Values and the Construction of a National Identity	269	(20)
Vera Tolz
Theoretical and Historical Background	270	(2)
Defining the Boundaries of the Russian Nation	272	(8)
Russian Identity between West and East	280	(5)
Conclusion	285	(4)
Part Four: Conclusion
Russian Democratisation in Comparative Perspective	289	(14)
Zvi Gitelman
What is Democracy?	289	(2)
Transition, Democratisation and Consolidation	291	(1)
The Prospects for Democracy in Russia	292	(5)
Democratisation in Russia in Comparative Perspective	297	(6)
Guide to Further Reading	303	(6)
Bibliography	309	(18)
Index	327