Russian Regional Politics under Putin and Medvedev
Many authors have alluded to the unique nature of Russias dual transition and its difficult task of simultaneously reforming its economy and polity. But there is in fact a third transition still far from completed that is of no less importance, the need to reconfigure central-regional relations and to create a stable and viable form of federalism. There are vast economic, demographic and political variations across the Russian federation. Therefore an understanding of regions, and the causes and consequences of cross-regional diversity, is a vitally important dimension of Russian politics that should not be overlooked. It is only by studying regional level politics that we can gain a full understanding of the complexities of Russias protracted transition.
This edited volume examines regional politics and centre-regional relations over the period 2000-2010, including the most recent developments which have taken place under the new dual leadership of Medvedev and Putin. All eight chapters have been written by leading experts in the field of Russian politics. In addition to chapters on regional elections, parties, regional governors and local politics, there are three chapters devoted to the important developments which are currently taking place in the Caucasus.
This book was published as a special issue of Europe-Asia Studies.
Cameron Ross is a Reader in politics at the University of Dundee, UK. He has taught politics at the University of Cambridge, the College of William and Mary (Virginia, USA) and Oberlin College (Ohio, USA).
Routledge Europe-Asia Studies Series
A series edited by Terry Cox, University of Glasgow
The Routledge Europe-Asia Studies Series focuses on the history and current political, social and economic affairs of the countries of the former communist bloc of the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and Asia. As well as providing contemporary analyses it explores the economic, political and social transformation of these countries and the changing character of their relationships with the rest of Europe and Asia.
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Edited by Richard Sakwa
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Edited by Laura Cashman
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Edited by Gabriella Ilonszki
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Edited by Sally N. Cummings
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Edited by Jackie Gower and Graham Timmins
Russian Regional Politics under Putin and Medvedev
Edited by Cameron Ross
Russian Regional Politics under Putin and Medvedev
Edited by
Cameron Ross
First published 2012
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2012 University of Glasgow
This book is a reproduction of Europe-Asia Studies, vol. 63, issue 3. The Publisher requests to those authors who may be citing this book to state, also, the bibliographical details of the special issue on which the book was based.
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The publisher would like to make readers aware that the chapters in this book are referred to as articles as they had been in the special issue. The publisher accepts responsibility for any inconsistencies that may have arisen in the course of preparing this volume for print.
Contents
Cameron Ross
Helge Blakkisrud
Grigorii V. Golosov
Arkady Lyubarev
Cameron Ross
Vladimir Gelman & Sergei Ryzhenkov
Richard Sakwa
Robert Ware
John Russell
HELGE BLAKKISRUD is Head of the Department for Russian and Eurasian Studies at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Oslo, and editor of Nordisk stforum, a Nordic journal for East European studies. In 20092010 he was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at ISEEES, UC Berkeley. His research interests include the development of Russian federalism as well as state building and nation building in Russia and Eurasia in general and in de facto states in particular. Recent publications include History Writing and Nation Building in Post-independence Tajikistan (with Shanoza Nozimova), Nationalities Papers, 2010, and From Secessionist Conflict towards Functioning State: Processes of State- and Nation-building in Transnistria (with Pl Kolst), Post Soviet Affairs (forthcoming). Address: Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, PO Box 8159 Dep, NO-0033 Oslo, Norway. Email: hb@nupi.no.
VLADIMIR GELMAN is a Professor at the Department of Political Science and Sociology, European University at St Petersburg. He was also a visiting professor at Central European University, Budapest, at the University of Texas at Austin, and a research fellow at the University of Essex, Harvard University and the University of Notre Dame. He is author and/or editor of 20 books in Russian and in English, including Resource Curse and Post-Soviet Eurasia (Lexington Books, 2010) and The Politics of Sub-National Authoritarianism in Russia (Ashgate, 2010). He has also authored or co-authored more than 120 articles published in international scholarly journals as well as numerous edited volumes. Address: Department of Political Science and Sociology, European University at St Petersburg, Gagarinskaya 3, 191187, St Petersburg, Russia. Email: gelman@eu.spb.ru.
GRIGORII V. GOLOSOV is Professor of Political Science at the Department of Political Sciences and Sociology of the European University at St Petersburg and Project Director at the Center in Support of Democracy and Human Rights Helix. He is the author of Political Parties in the Regions of Russia: Democracy Unclaimed (Lynne Rienner, 2004) and several other books and he has published extensively on Russian politics, political parties and elections, including articles in Comparative Political Studies, Europe-Asia Studies, Government and Opposition, International Political Science Review, Party Politics, Political Studies and other journals. Address: Department of Political Science and Sociology, European University at St Petersburg, Gagarinskaya 3, 191187 Russia. Email: