How Russia Is Not Ruled
Reflections on Russian Political Development
1st Edition
Published on 12. May 2005
978-0-511-10889-1 (ISBN)
Description
The state remains as important to Russia's prospects as ever. This is so not only because, as in any society, an effectively functioning state administration is necessary to the proper functioning of a complex economy and legal system, but also because, in Russian circumstances, factors of economic geography tend to increase costs of production compared to the rest of the world. These mutually reinforcing factors include: the extreme severity of the climate, the immense distances to be covered, the dislocation between (European) population centers and (Siberian) natural resource centers, and the inevitable predominance of relatively costly land transportation over sea-borne transportation. As a result, it is questionable whether Russia can exist as a world civilization under predominantly liberal economic circumstances: in a unified liberal global capital market, large-scale private direct capital investment will not be directed to massive, outdoor infrastructure projects typical of state investment in the Soviet period.
Reviews / Votes
"...a challenging and thought-provoking read that should be considered alongside more sanguine forecasts about Russia's future."-Neil Robinson, University of Limerick, The Russian Review "This study should set the standard for what is means to take Russia's problems seriously."
-Venelin I. Ganev, Miami University of Ohio, Perspectives on Politics "Lynch's use of both historical expertise and methodological skills is impressive. The book constructs a very detailed and complicated picture that draws on a broad and profound interdisciplinary knowledge."
-Grazyna Skapska, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland, Slavic Review "...elegantly written and carefully crafted book...this book reflects excellent scholarship and deserves a broad readership."
-Reneo Lukic, Universite Laval a Quebec, International Journal
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Cambridge University Press
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
File size
1,94 MB
ISBN-13
978-0-511-10889-1 (9780511108891)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
01/2005
Cambridge University Press
€62.50
Shipment within 15-20 days
Book
01/2005
Cambridge University Press
€41.60
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
Allen C. Lynch is the Director of the Center for Russian and East European Studies and Hugh S. and Winifred B. Cumming Memorial Professor of International Affairs at the University of Virginia. He is the author of numerous books, including The Soviet Study of International Relations (Cambridge, 1987), which was the winner of the 1988 Marshall D. Shulman Award of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies and The Cold War is Over-Again (1992). He is also the author of numerous articles on Russian and Slavic studies.
Content
1. Historical patterns of Russian political development; 2. Soviet legacies for post-Soviet Russia; 3. The 1990's in Russia: a new time of troubles?; 4. Russia's 'Neo-patrimonial' political system, 1992-2004; 5. The Russian nineties in comparative perspective; 6. What future for Russia? Liberal economics and illiberal geography.
