Routledge Handbook of Russian Politics and Society

Cover
Endorsement
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Figures
Tables
Contributors
Preface
Abbreviations
Part 1 Introduction
1 Introduction
References
2 The Yeltsin Era
Political Reform
Economic Reform
Society
Conclusion
References
3 The Putin Era
After the Second Russian Revolution: The Reverse Wave
Critical Junctures of the Twenty-First Century: The Road to a Dead End?
1999–2000: The Resurrection
2011–2014: The Perilous Path
2020 and After: The Autumn of the Patriarch
Towards a Post-Putin Era? A Critical Outlook
Note
References
4 Democratisation
Problems of Third Wave Thinking
Approaches to Democratisation
Preconditions
Cultural Factors
Endogenous Transitions: Elites and Political Change
Crafting Democracy
Exogenous Factors
Conclusion
References
5 How Russia Compares
A Demographic Revolution
Economic and Social Wellbeing
Democratic Governance
Conclusion
References
Part 2 Politics
6 Vladimir Putin: Great Leader Or Ordinary Authoritarian?
Presidential Powers and Authoritarianism
Great Leader?
Strongman?
A Post-Soviet Authoritarian
The Invasion of Ukraine
Conclusion
Notes
References
7 The Russian Constitution
How the Constitution Is Structured
Conclusion
Acknowledgements
Note
References
8 The Presidency
Presidential Administration and Government
Russian Presidents
Important Caveat: Constraints On the Hegemonic Presidency
The Presidency Today – and Looking Ahead
References
9 The Federal Assembly – More Than Just a “Rubber Stamp”?
Parliamentary Power in Post-Soviet Russia
Law-making
Oversight
Representation and Elite Recruitment
Popular Approval and Legitimacy
Conclusion
Notes
References
10 National Elections in Russia
Elections Since 1993
Electoral System
Parties in the Russian System
The Current Party System
Assessing the Electoral Integrity of the Russian Political System
Conclusion
Notes
References
11 State Intervention and Russia’s Frozen Dominant Party System
Measuring Party System Structure: Numbers, Spatial Relations, and Organisation
The Consolidation of an Autocratic Party System
Russia’s First Party System
The Consolidation of an Autocratic Party System, 1999–2007
Party System Autocracy
Persistent Challenges From Below and From Outside the System
References
12 Local Government
Historical Background
Municipal Reform of the 2000s
Counter-reform of the 2010s
The Constitutional Reform of 2020–22 and the Dismantling of the LSG
The Centralising Essence of the Reform.
LSG in Public Policy
Repression of Mayors and the Refusal of Direct Elections
Chronology of Detentions of Governors and Mayors of Regional Capitals
The Case of Mayor Klein
Conclusion
Notes
References
13 Federalism and De-Federalisation in Russia
Introduction
Defining Federalism
Federalism and Democracy
The Foundations of Russia’s Federal System 1991–3
An Asymmetrical Federation
The Distribution of Powers
From Constitutional to Contract Federalism, December 1993–9
Bilateral Treaties
Defederalisation Under Putin
1. The Creation of Federal Super-Districts
2. Reform of the Federation and State Councils and Creation of the Council of Legislators
3. Enhancing Presidential Control Over the Constitutional Court
4. The Campaign to Bring Regional Charters and Republican Constitutions Into Line With the Russian Constitution and Federal Laws
5. The Appointment/election of Regional Chief Executives
6. Clarifying the Powers of Federal, Regional and Local Bodies of Power
7. The Merger of Federal Subjects
Conclusion
References
14 Centre-Regional Relations in Russia
The Exceptional Role of Moscow
The Centre-Periphery Model Based On Dominance
Most Regions Rely On Subsidies From Moscow
The Limits of Possible Reform
The Limits of Centralisation
COVID-19 and the Centre-Regional Relationship
Conclusion
Note
References
15 Politics in Russian Regions
Introduction
Politics in the Regions in Putin’s Russia
Conceptualising Regional Variation
Sub-national Political Regimes
Personalist Politics
Electoral Geography
Contentious Politics
The Special Case of Ethnic Regions
Conclusion
Notes
References
16 Decision-Making
The President
The Government
The State Duma
Regions
Popular Participation, the Expert Community and Other Outsiders
Change Over Time
Conclusion
Notes
References
17 State Capacity and Russia
Introduction
State Capacity: Conceptualisation
State Capacity: Measurement
Post-Soviet Russia: State Collapse and State Building
Conclusion
References
18 Russia’s Retreat From Human Rights
Russia Adopts a New Human Rights Vocabulary
Yeltsin’s Mixed Legacy
Russia and the European Court of Human Rights
The Torture and Death of Sergei Magnitsky
Putin’s Return in 2012 and the Crackdown On Human Rights
The Russian State as a Defender of Human Rights
The Renewed Emphasis On Social Rights
Putin Re-Writes the Constitution
The Closure of Memorial
Conclusion
References
19 Protest and Opposition
A Conflictual Relationship
Protest in the 1990s and 2000s
The “For Fair Elections” Protests
Protest After FFE
Mobilisation as a Political Strategy
Politicising Protest
Protest and Opposition – Two Forms of the Same Threat?
Notes
References
20 The Security Services
Developments in the Russian Security Apparatus Since 1991
KGB Successor Organisations
The Interior Ministry (MVD)
The National Guard
The Ministry of Defence
The Influence of the Russian Security Apparatus and the Role of the Siloviki
Acknowledgements
References
21 The Military
The Lost Years of the 1990s
War in Chechnya: 1994–96
Recognising the Scale of the Problem: Vladimir Putin’s First Presidency
War With Georgia and Serious Military Reform
The Military as a Tool of Foreign Policy: Putin Returns to the Presidency
24 February 2022: Russia Invades Ukraine
References
Part 3 Political Economy
22 Political Economy
Introduction
Russia’s Hybrid Political Economy in the 1990s
Putin and Patrimonial Capitalism
Conclusion
References
23 Crony Capitalism in Contemporary Russia and What Globalisation Has to do With It
State-business Relations and Property Rights
The Dynamics of Russia’s Crony Capitalism in Historical Perspective
Political Centralisation
Economic Concentration
Energy Rents
Global-local Interdependencies: Institutions and Global Arbitrage
Conclusion
Notes
References
24 The Russian Corporation: Between Neoliberalism and the Security State
The Soviet Legacy
The Character of the Putin Regime
The Evolution of Russia’s Economic Elite
The Nature of Business-State Relations
The Impact of Sanctions
The Peculiarities of the Russian Petrostate
Conclusion
References
25 Russian International Economic Policy: Purposes and Performance
Russian International Economic Policy and Performance: Consumer Utility and Geostrategic Power
Policy Environment 2014–22
International Economic Sanctions
The West’s Sanctions Package
US Trade Sanctions Against Russia
Key Features of EU and American Sanctions
Effects On the Russian Economy
Effects On Russian Defence
Restraining Effects of Economic Sanctions
Russian International Economic Performance 2014–22
Welfare
Performance, Potential and Prospects
Conclusion
Postscript
Notes
References
Part 4 Society
26 Russian Population Dynamics in the Putin Era
Overview
Data Sources
Population Size, Structure, and Growth
Natural Increase and Population Growth
Fertility
Sexual and Reproductive Health
Mortality
International Migration
Conclusion
Notes
References
27 Inequality in Russia
Income and Wealth Inequality in Modern Russia: Between West and East?
Non-monetary Inequalities in Russian Society
Social Stratification Factors
Public Perceptions of Inequality and Social Structure
Conclusion
Note
References
28 Russian Labour: Between Stability and Stagnation
Introduction
The Soviet Labour Legacy
Economic Challenges
Social Challenges
Political Challenges
Russia’s Labour Dilemma
References
29 Gender in Russia: State Policy and Lived Reality
Gender and State Policy
Gender in Post-Soviet Russia
Gender in the Labour Market
Gender in the Household
Conclusion
Notes
References
30 The Rise of a Hybrid Welfare State in Putin’s Russia: Social Welfare Under Authoritarianism
The Zigzags of Post-Soviet Welfare State Restructuring
Understanding the Legacies of the Soviet Past
Welfare State Liberalisation in Yeltsin’s Russia (1992–99)
The Welfare State in Putin’s Russia: Towards Further Liberalisation and Hybridisation of the Welfare System
Conclusion
References
31 Media and Culture in Putin’s Russia
Post-Soviet Russia’s Media Transformations
The Changing Russian Media Ecology
Russian Media and the Socio-Political Environment
Challenging Persistent Misconceptions
Complex Trends in Russia’s Hybridising Media Ecology
Conclusion
Notes
References
32 ICT in Putin’s Russia: 1999–2021
“RuNet”: From Total Freedom to Putin’s Sovereign Internet
Big Tech Elites and the Kremlin: The Logic of Co-Existence
Networked Society: The Kremlin’s Challenge
The Kremlin’s ICT-Related Legislation
After Russia Invaded Ukraine
Conclusion
References
33 Symbolism and the Transformation of the National Historical Narrative in Post-Soviet Russia
Introducing the New Symbolism in the 1990s
Transformations of the State’s Symbolism in 2000–08
Amplifying the State’s Symbolism During the Medvedev-Putin Tandem
The Symbolism of Putin’s Regime in the 2010–20s
Postscript
References
34 The Politics of Memory
Introduction
The Yeltsin Era
2000s: Epistemic Concerns
2010s: Epistemic Control
The Conflicted Legacy of the Soviet Era
References
35 Civil Society and the State
Historical Overview – Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union
Post-Soviet Civil Society: The Yeltsin Era
Putin’s First Two Terms and the Medvedev Presidency
Putin’s Return to the Presidency
Conclusion
Note
References
36 Informal Politics
Informal Politics in the Context of the Global Democratic Recession
Overcoming the Rationalist Perspective
Transcending the Transition Perspective
Relativising the Normative Perspective
Balancing Off A-Historic, State-Centric Thinking
Three Tests for a Better Understanding of Informal Politics: Crossing Over Disciplines, Area Studies, and the ...
Test 1: Cross-Disciplinarity
Test 2: Context Sensitivity
Test 3: The Formal/informal Interaction Test – Integrating the Opposites
The Case of Russia’s Sistema
A Model of Informal Governance Based On Cross-Discipline, Cross-Area Studies and a Formal/informal Symbiotic Perspective
References
37 Corruption and Organised Crime in Post-Soviet Russia
Introduction
Definitional Issues
Is There a Problem?
Causes
Countering Corruption and OC
Conclusions
Note
References
38 Russian Nationalism
Introduction
Russia’s Ongoing Nation-Building
What Place for Nationalism in the Ideological Construction of the Putin Regime?
Opposition Nationalism and the Kremlin’s Strategy Towards It
Conclusion
References
39 Ethnic Relations
The Imperial and Soviet Legacy
Ethno-territorial Autonomy
Cultural Autonomy
Indigenous Rights
Interethnic Conflict
Assimilationist Pressures
Conclusion
References
40 Religion
The Situation of Religious Communities
Church and State in Russia
Church and Society
Conclusion
Notes
References
Part 5 Foreign Policy
41 Russian Foreign Policy and the Challenge to the Existing World Order
From the “New World Order” to Renewed Conflict
Russia and Its Neighbours
Russia, the Eurasian Union and the 2014 Ukraine Crisis
Russia’s Return to the Developing World
Russia’s Strategic Partnership With China
A New Cold War and the Russian Challenge to the Liberal World Order
Towards the Future
Notes
References
42 Russian Security Policy and Outlook
Introduction
Russian Threats
Security Policy Instruments
Ukraine – Russia’s Military, Politics and Society
Conclusion
References
43 Russia’s Attitudes and Policies Toward Ukraine
Historical Background
Post-Soviet Russia’s Changing Approach to Ukraine
Current Policies
The War
References
44 Russia and Belarus
Russia and Belarus: Political Relations
Towards a Union State
Russian Recharge
The Backwards Neighbour
The Last Ally
Russia and Belarus: Military Relations
A Sovereign Buffer
Regional Tension
End of Hopes for a European Security Community
Ready for a New War?
Russia and Belarus: Economic Relations
Navigating Survival
Riding High On Russian Energy
Emerging Crises
Belarus for Sale?
Russia and Belarus: Cultural Relations
A Soviet and Russian Republic?
Nationalising Lukashenka
Away From Russia?
Epilogue: And Then There Was 2022
References
45 Russia’s Foreign Policy in Central Asia: In Search of Privileged Partnership
The Lost Decade of the 1990s
The Russian Strategic Vision of Central Asia: The Putin Years
The Primacy of Security
Upholding Stability, Authoritarian Status Quo and Non-Interference
The Weakest Link? Russian Economic Policies
Soft Power Projection
Conclusion
References
46 The Kremlin’s Reverse Democracy: Relations With the Caucasus Region
Introduction
It Was Stalin’s Fault
No, It Was Gorbachev’s Fault
The Factors That Affect Reverse Democracy
A State of Chaos Or the Higher Authority of Putin’s Regime?
Systemic Pressure
The Problems With Democratic Regimes in the World Starting With the Bush Doctrine
EU Energy Policy in the Caspian Sea Region
The Trump Presidency 2016–20 and the Decline of US Global Leadership
The Activities of the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Defender of Authoritarian Regimes and Traditional Values
The Domino Effect: The Rise of Illiberal Democracies in Central and Eastern Europe After the End of the Cold War
Reversed Democracy in Action
Conclusion
References
47 US–Russian Relations
The Yeltsin Years – a Tale of Two Narratives
The Putin Reset
The Medvedev Interlude
Putin Redux
Trump and Russia
Biden’s First Year in Office
The Outlook for US–Russian Relations
References
48 Russia and the European Union: The Path to a Strategic Disengagement
“Selective Engagement”
An Inevitable Collision?
Desirability of a Strong Europe
References
49 Russia and China
Alliance: What’s in a Name?
Economics and Energy: Improving But at a Price?
Military Ties
Regional Cooperation Or Competition?
Russia, China and the Indo-Pacific Strategy
Normative Alignment
Conclusion
References
Index