... influenced by big money and criminalized elites as they are, at least to some extent, in the former Soviet republics, or in the boss-dominated politics of earlier stages of American democracy?
On the other hand, it seems odd to label such leaders as Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenka (Belarus) "undemocratic." Despite whatever falsification of elections has taken place, independent polls show them to have continually maintained remarkable approval ratings for over ten years. True, the ...
Comment on Interview with Alena Ledeneva http://www.rferl.org/content/interview-russia-alena-ledeneva-sistema/24944910.html
Ledeneva is one of the few to have confronted the reality that in order to reform Russia and the other post-Soviet republics, one has to understand the mechanisms underlying the system.
Interestingly, it was Putin’s answer to her question about corruption that opened Ledeneva's eyes to the existence of “The System” and its importance. Many believe...
Russia's leaders have long recognized a need for competitive politics. They tried twice, in 1995 and in 2006, to create a two-party system from above. Most observers among those who even took note of these attempts ridiculed them. Both times, they stressed that the parties created from above were "pro-Kremlin," so the attempt to create a two-party system could not be serious.
Such observers failed, and still fail to recognize that there are powerful reasons why the Kremlin needs...
