What impact has Russia's chosen path of reform had on the development of law after the collapse of the communist regime? This collection of essays examines how Russia's distinctive traditions of lawand lawlessnessare shaping the current struggle for economic reform in the country. Nine renowned scholars, chosen from specialties in history, political science, law, and economics, expertly address the question.By drawing on the experiences of other transition countries and of developed market economies within the context of Russian history, these essays put Russia's transition since 1991 into...

Has the Russian state managed to lay the institutional groundwork for long-term stability and democratic governance? In Building the Russian State, Valerie Sperling assembles a group of cutting-edge scholars to critically assess the crises in Russia's transitional institutions. Part I of the book shows that Russia's political elites are less focused on serving public interests than on enriching themselves, and examines how these elites are ruling Russia. Part II focuses on the growth of organized crime, the decay of the military, the precariousness of the Russian Federation, the...