The Political Economy of Putin's Russia

摘要

Russia has undergone a significant transformation over the last quarter century. Its transition from a totalitarian to an authoritarian regime and from a planned economy to an economy based, to a large extent, on market principles have caused major changes in the country's political and social life. The majority of writings on contemporary Russia focus on its political life, which has become much more interesting and open for researchers after the Soviet era. Sociologists are also attracted to major societal changes taking place in Russia, including the shift from an externally imposed collectivist ideology to a "Wild West" style of striving for personal enrichment at any cost. Analyses of Russia's vast energy sector as well as business and economic aspects, in general, are often formulated within the frame of how to do business in Russia. Fewer works, however, look into specific segments of the Russian economy. An equally limited number of works offer a comprehensive analysis of Russia's transition to market economy with an emphasis on the economic side of this complex process. The Political Economy of Putin's Russia by Pekka Sutela does exactly this. It considers a set of key issues in Russia's post-Soviet transition through the lenses of basic economic approaches.