Russia Transformed: Developing Popular Support for a New Regime

Description

Since the fall of communism Russia has undergone a treble transformation of its political, social and economic system. The government is an autocracy in which the Kremlin manages elections and administers the law to suit its own ends. It does not provide the democracy that most citizens desire. Given a contradiction between what Russians want and what they get, do they support their government and, if so, why? Using the New Russia Barometer - a unique set of public opinion surveys from 1992 to 2005 - this book shows that it is the passage of time that has been most important in developing support for the new regime. Although there remains great dissatisfaction with the regime's corruption, it has become accepted as a lesser evil to alternatives. The government appears stable today, but will be challenged by constitutional term limits forcing President Putin to leave office in 2008.

Richard Rose is Director of the Centre for the Study of Public Policy at the University of Aberdeen. He is the founder of the Barometer series of surveys of popular response to transformation in 16 post-Communist countries and author of dozens of books on comparative politics and public policy. William Mishler is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Arizona and has published widely on political behaviour in America, Canada and Europe. Neil Munro is a Senior Fellow in the Centre for the Study of Public Policy at the University of Aberdeen. He is co-author with Richard Rose of Elections without Order: Russia's Challenge to Vladimir Putin (Cambridge University Press, 2002).

'Few, if any, students of post-Soviet Russia have a greater experience and skill in telling with numbers the story of the continuing giant transformation than Richard Rose, William Mishler and Neil Munro. Their research is both scrupulous and insightful.' Leon Aron, Director of Russian Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, Washington DC and author of Yeltsin: A Revolutionary Life (2000) "Every serious scholar of Comparative Politics knows the value of paying attention to new research reports by Rose and Mishler, since these political scientists have contributed mightily to our theoretical and empirical understanding of the processes of transformation in Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union - indeed, none have contributed more. With this landmark work on the Soviet transition, Rose, Mishler and Munroe provide the definitive analysis of how Soviet society changed, at the grass-roots level, in the hearts and minds of the citizenry. Perhaps never in political science has such an impressive collective of original data been assembled and only rarely in political science have we learned as much from survey data, not just about the changes that have engulfed the Former Soviet Union, but more generally about democratization, and most generally about fundamental processes of political change. Outstanding scholarship, from outstanding scholars!" James L. Gibson, Sidney W. Souers Professor of Government, Washington University in St. Louis 'This is a landmark study on two counts. First, it gives a detailed empirical account of the development of popular regime support in post-Communist Russia. The evidence displayed comes from a unique data base which combines fourteen representative sample surveys covering the period from January 1992 to January 2005. Second, and even more important, the study's theoretical approach and the models proposed are of general relevance for the dynamic analysis of mass response to regime transformation. A 'must read' for those interested in Russian studies and comparative research on political behavior and change.' Hans-Dieter Klingemann, Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB) 'Another treat from Richard Rose and colleagues - a study full of ideas as well as numbers that will be required reading for all specialists on Russian politics, and which has a lot for comparativists as well. I particularly like the discussion of the supply and demand of regimes, and this is certainly the best place to start for an understanding of the choices that Russians will face in 2008 when Putin comes to the end of his second term and (presumably) stands down.' Stephen White, Professor of International Politics, University of Glasgow 'The authors have produced an exciting analysis ... full of important facts about the state of Russia today this book is not only of immediate importance to professionals ... but also to all who show a keen interest in the past, present and future of the Russian Federation.' Contemporary Review ' ... a remarkable book ...' Political Studies Review