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on Confederation of Independent States |
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Issue of 2022‒01‒03
twelve papers chosen by |
| By: | Olga Yu. Malinova (National Research University Higher School of Economics) |
| Abstract: | The article presents some results of a study of framing the collective memory about “the 1990s” in Russian political discourse. It is devoted to the most dramatic event of the post-Soviet transition in Russia – the political crisis of 1993 that led to adoption of the Constitution that formally functions till now. The author analyzes constructing the conflicting interpretations of the crisis by studying mass media publications in the post-Yeltsin period. To reveal the evolution of competing public narratives, the article focuses on three round figures anniversaries of the events, in 2003, 2013 and 2018, that reflect different stages of Russia’s political development. It demonstrates the significant change in the official discourse after Vladimir Putin’s coming to the presidential office. The narratives about the victory of reformers over counter-reformers and pre-emptive violence aimed to stop a civil war, that were used by Yeltsin, dropped off to be substituted by the story about the Constitution as a historical choice of the Russian people. Putin tended to remember about the 1993 crisis to emphasize “the stability” that was considered the main achievement of his rule. The narratives articulated by the Communists and other successors of the memory of the White House defenders did not change much over time. The author explains it by noting that, in these discourses, the events of 1993 took the shape of the “myth of origin” of Putin’s political regime. On the contrary, the discourse of the Liberals evolved, as, by the 2010s, the apologetic interpretations typical for 2003 gave a way for the critical ones. The tendency for bridging between the narratives about the consequences (though not the reasons) of the crises articulated by the Communists and the Liberals became visible in the recent period. However, it does not prevent the symbolic conflict between them that plays a decisive role in constructing their political identities. |
| Keywords: | Political uses of the part, collective memory, political narratives, the political crisis of 1993 in Russia, Constitution of Russian Federation, official political discourse, the Communists, the Liberals. |
| JEL: | Z |
| Date: | 2021 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hig:wpaper:84/ps/2021&r= |
| By: | Ruslan Gulidov; Elena Veprikova (Federal Autonomous Scientific Institution «Eastern State Planning Center») |
| Abstract: | The paper presents a snapshot of the socio-economic development of the Republic of Buryatia, a region of the Russian Federation. General information on the territory (the number and density of the population, the pattern of settlements, the presence of undeveloped and border areas) is presented. The problems of the infrastructure availability of the region are identified. The region's current stage of economic development is analyzed, including the performance of the key economy sectors, foreign economic activity, employment, labor productivity and wages, investments, and preferential regimes. The state and features of the use of the resource potential are demonstrated. The level of social development and the quality of life in the Republic of Buryatia are presented. The state and potential of regional budgets are revealed. Based on the comprehensive analysis of a wide array of relevant factual data, the key competitive advantages, limitations and development potentials of the Republic of Buryatia are revealed. The paper is intended for specialists in the regional economics, regional and local government officials, faculty members, graduates and postgraduates as well as other readers interested in the development of the Russian Far East and the Republic of Buryatia, in particular. |
| Keywords: | socio-economic development, development of the territory, transport infrastructure, energy infrastructure, communications infrastructure, land resources, mineral resources, forest resources, aquatic biological resources, foreign economic activity, employment, labor productivity, wages, investments, preferential regimes, well-being, social development, regional budget, development limitations, development drivers |
| JEL: | R10 J1 O10 |
| Date: | 2020–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aln:wpaper:350-00001-20/1.1&r= |
| By: | Viktor Malein (University of Southern Denmark) |
| Abstract: | Between 1890 and 1913, Russian Empire experienced a rapid transition to an industrial economy, catching up with Western countries. Using accidental elements in German settlement locations in Russia 1763-1861, the paper estimates the effects of the more educated Germans in Russia’s industrial transition in 1890-1913. I demonstrate that German settlers had significant external benefits in their regions through improved schooling infrastructure and increased literacy among the local population. Educational benefits translated into a higher share of industrial occupations, per-capita local expenditures and urbanization by 1897. I also find a positive impact of education on productivity, mainly in industries that experienced technological transformation and had higher human capital requirements. Furthermore, panel estimates reveal that German areas experienced a higher industrial growth only after 1890 with the adaption of more progressive technologies. Finally, I find no evidence supporting alternative explanations of the German impact: increased agricultural productivity, lower exposure to serfdom, demographic transition or changes in landownership structure. |
| Keywords: | Human capital, Russian economic history, Industrialization |
| JEL: | N14 I25 O47 |
| Date: | 2021–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hes:wpaper:0221&r= |
| By: | Kirill Chmel (National Research University Higher School of Economics); Israel Marques II (National Research University Higher School of Economics); Michael Mironyuk (National Research University Higher School of Economics); Dina Rosenberg (National Research University Higher School of Economics); Aleksei Turobov (National Research University Higher School of Economics) |
| Abstract: | When are citizens willing to give up civil rights to enable governments to deal with large-scale emergencies in non-democracies? Emergency responses are one of the most fundamental public services governments provide. Digital transformations in government services both create new possibilities for effective emergency measures and greater intrusions on civil liberties. Existing work on public support for emergency responses suggests that individuals accept intrusive measures when they are credibly framed as temporary responses to actual emergencies. Such work has largely focused on democracies, however, where institutions constrain government abuses. On the one hand, individuals in non-democracies may be more skeptical of emergency measures due to lack of competition and opportunities for redress. Institutional trust should therefore play an important role in such settings. On the other hand, skepticism may be tempered by exposure to and fear of emergencies being addressed. We test these arguments using an original vignette experiment that manipulates the type of emergency intrusive measures address (terrorism vs. an epidemic) and their duration to support for them. We embed this experiment on a survey of more than 16,250 respondents across 60 Russian regions. Our findings provide important insights into the logic of responses to public safety threats and public opinion about them in non-democracies. |
| Keywords: | Civil Liberties, Government Surveillance, Emergency Measures and Powers, Terrorism, COVID, Institutional Trust, Russia |
| JEL: | D8 D78 I18 H12 P0 |
| Date: | 2021 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hig:wpaper:82/ps/2021&r= |
| By: | Ruslan Gulidov; Elena Veprikova (Federal Autonomous Scientific Institution «Eastern State Planning Center») |
| Abstract: | The paper presents a snapshot of the socio-economic development of the Sakha Republic (Yakutiya), a region of the Russian Federation. General information on the territory (the number and density of the population, the pattern of settlements, the presence of undeveloped and border areas) is presented. The problems of the infrastructure availability of the region are identified. The region's current stage of economic development is analyzed, including the performance of the key economy sectors, foreign economic activity, employment, labor productivity and wages, investments, and preferential regimes. The state and features of the use of the resource potential are demonstrated. The level of social development and the quality of life in the Sakha Republic (Yakutiya) are presented. The state and potential of regional budgets are revealed. Based on the comprehensive analysis of a wide array of relevant factual data, the key competitive advantages, limitations and development potentials of the Sakha Republic (Yakutiya) are revealed. The paper is intended for specialists in the regional economics, regional and local government officials, faculty members, graduates and postgraduates as well as other readers interested in the development of the Russian Far East and the Sakha Republic (Yakutiya), in particular. |
| Keywords: | socio-economic development, development of the territory, transport infrastructure, energy infrastructure, communications infrastructure, land resources, mineral resources, forest resources, aquatic biological resources, foreign economic activity, employment, labor productivity, wages, investments, preferential regimes, well-being, social development, regional budget, development limitations, development drivers |
| JEL: | R10 J1 O10 |
| Date: | 2020–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aln:wpaper:350-00001-20/1.8&r= |
| By: | Ruslan Gulidov; Elena Veprikova (Federal Autonomous Scientific Institution «Eastern State Planning Center») |
| Abstract: | The paper presents a snapshot of the socio-economic development of the Zabaykalsky Krai, a region of the Russian Federation. General information on the territory (the number and density of the population, the pattern of settlements, the presence of undeveloped and border areas) is presented. The problems of the infrastructure availability of the region are identified. The region's current stage of economic development is analyzed, including the performance of the key economy sectors, foreign economic activity, employment, labor productivity and wages, investments, and preferential regimes. The state and features of the use of the resource potential are demonstrated. The level of social development and the quality of life in the Zabaykalsky Krai are presented. The state and potential of regional budgets are revealed. Based on the comprehensive analysis of a wide array of relevant factual data, the key competitive advantages, limitations and development potentials of the Zabaykalsky Krai are revealed. The paper is intended for specialists in the regional economics, regional and local government officials, faculty members, graduates and postgraduates as well as other readers interested in the development of the Russian Far East and the Zabaykalsky Krai, in particular. |
| Keywords: | socio-economic development, development of the territory, transport infrastructure, energy infrastructure, communications infrastructure, land resources, mineral resources, forest resources, aquatic biological resources, foreign economic activity, employment, labor productivity, wages, investments, preferential regimes, well-being, social development, regional budget, development limitations, development drivers |
| JEL: | R10 J1 O10 |
| Date: | 2020–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aln:wpaper:350-00001-20/1.9&r= |
| By: | Valeria Babayan (National Research University Higher School of Economics); Israel Marques II (National Research University Higher School of Economics); Michael Mironyuk (National Research University Higher School of Economics); Aleksei Turobov (National Research University Higher School of Economics) |
| Abstract: | What are the determinants of individual-level trust in Internet-based voting in non-democracies? Modern digital and electronic transformations of the electoral process offer citizens new forms of voting, however it is not clear which citizens are prepared to trust these innovations. Existing work on trust in internet-based voting has mainly focused on Western democracies, where well-functioning institutions curb potential abuses. As a consequence, existing perspectives have drawn on work on technology adoption and focused on individual-level cost-benefit analyses and elite framing of these technologies. In non-democracies, however, there are few checks and balances on electoral manipulations that allow the authorities to shape outcomes extra-legally. In such settings, institutional trust in the authorities and beliefs about the ease with which internet-based voting can be abused take on new and greater salience. In this paper, we provide an exploratory analysis aimed at testing whether existing perspectives help explain trust in internet-based voting in electoral non-democracies, as well as whether concerns about abuse also play a role. To test these arguments, we make use of an online survey of over 16,250 respondents in the Russian Federation, a case regarded as archetypical in the literature on electoral non-democracies. Our findings provide important insights into public opinion surrounding novel electoral procedures, generally, and internet-based voting, more specifically, in non-democracies. These insights, in turn, have important implications for our understanding of attitudes towards electoral integrity in non-democracies and the potential for popular constraints on the ability of autocrats to modify electoral procedures to reproduce power |
| Keywords: | Internet voting, Institutional trust, Risk, Electoral Processes, Public opinion, Technology adoption, online voting, Russia, COVID |
| JEL: | D8 D72 |
| Date: | 2021 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hig:wpaper:83/ps/2021&r= |
| By: | Ruslan Gulidov; Elena Veprikova (Federal Autonomous Scientific Institution «Eastern State Planning Center») |
| Abstract: | The paper presents a snapshot of the socio-economic development of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, a region of the Russian Federation. General information on the territory (the number and density of the population, the pattern of settlements, the presence of undeveloped and border areas) is presented. The problems of the infrastructure availability of the region are identified. The region's current stage of economic development is analyzed, including the performance of the key economy sectors, foreign economic activity, employment, labor productivity and wages, investments, and preferential regimes. The state and features of the use of the resource potential are demonstrated. The level of social development and the quality of life in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast are presented. The state and potential of regional budgets are revealed. Based on the comprehensive analysis of a wide array of relevant factual data, the key competitive advantages, limitations and development potentials of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast are revealed. The paper is intended for specialists in the regional economics, regional and local government officials, faculty members, graduates and postgraduates as well as other readers interested in the development of the Russian Far East and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, in particular. |
| Keywords: | socio-economic development, development of the territory, transport infrastructure, energy infrastructure, communications infrastructure, land resources, mineral resources, forest resources, aquatic biological resources, foreign economic activity, employment, labor productivity, wages, investments, preferential regimes, well-being, social development, regional budget, development limitations, development drivers |
| JEL: | R10 J1 O10 |
| Date: | 2020–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aln:wpaper:350-00001-20/1.3&r= |
| By: | Ruslan Gulidov; Elena Veprikova (Federal Autonomous Scientific Institution «Eastern State Planning Center») |
| Abstract: | The paper presents a snapshot of the socio-economic development of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, a region of the Russian Federation. General information on the territory (the number and density of the population, the pattern of settlements, the presence of undeveloped and border areas) is presented. The problems of the infrastructure availability of the region are identified. The region's current stage of economic development is analyzed, including the performance of the key economy sectors, foreign economic activity, employment, labor productivity and wages, investments, and preferential regimes. The state and features of the use of the resource potential are demonstrated. The level of social development and the quality of life in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug are presented. The state and potential of regional budgets are revealed. Based on the comprehensive analysis of a wide array of relevant factual data, the key competitive advantages, limitations and development potentials of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug are revealed. The paper is intended for specialists in the regional economics, regional and local government officials, faculty members, graduates and postgraduates as well as other readers interested in the development of the Russian Far East and the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, in particular. |
| Keywords: | socio-economic development, development of the territory, transport infrastructure, energy infrastructure, communications infrastructure, land resources, mineral resources, forest resources, aquatic biological resources, foreign economic activity, employment, labor productivity, wages, investments, preferential regimes, well-being, social development, regional budget, development limitations, development drivers |
| JEL: | R10 J1 O10 |
| Date: | 2020–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aln:wpaper:350-00001-20/1.2&r= |
| By: | Salim Turdaliev (Institute of Economic Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic) |
| Abstract: | In this paper, I estimate the price elasticity of residential electricity demand using household-level panel data for Russia. The study takes advantage of the variation in tariffs across regions and over time, as well as the introduction of increasing block rate (IBR) tariff schemes in a number of regions. I show that in those regions consumers appear to be aware of the block cut-offs, even though the latter are household and dwelling-specific, to the point that there are a total of 35 different tier cut-offs. Based on these results, I estimate the price elasticity of electricity demand to be around -0.09. I also predict the associated changes in electricity consumption, CO2 emissions, and revenues if similar IBR policies are implemented countrywide. |
| Keywords: | residential electricity demand, transition economy, natural experiment, increasing block rates, attentiveness, CO2 emissions |
| JEL: | Q41 Q48 L98 L94 |
| Date: | 2021–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fau:wpaper:wp2021_37&r= |
| By: | Alexandra S. Kolesnik (National Research University Higher School of Economics); Aleksandr V. Rusanov (National Research University Higher School of Economics) |
| Abstract: | Within heritage studies, popular music is considered not only as a significant part of cultural history of certain regions and countries, but also as urban and national cultural heritage (primarily in the UK and US). In Russia, a diverse popular musical past has only recently begun to be represented as cultural heritage, for the most part, through initiatives of musicians, music fans and citizens. The paper examines how the memory of the Leningrad Rock Club is presented in contemporary St. Petersburg as a significant part of the urban history of the 1980s (with examples of memorial sites, monuments to musicians, fan travel maps and tours). The research methods are in-depth interviews and observations that were made during a field-work (August 2020, July, August and October 2021, visiting various locations in 2013–2018). Basing on the concept of heritage as a process we analyze how popular musical heritage is constructed and how the memory and heritage of Leningrad Rock Club is represented in St. Petersburg. This example turns out to be part of the broader and, one might say, global processes of revising the concept of cultural heritage, which unfolded in the second half of the 20th century and as a result of which popular culture in all its diversity becomes a part of this process |
| Keywords: | cultural heritage, heritage studies, critical heritage studies, popular music heritage, Leningrad Rock Club, rock music |
| JEL: | Z |
| Date: | 2021 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hig:wpaper:205/hum/2021&r= |
| By: | Innes, Abby |
| Abstract: | This paper explores UK public sector outsourcing to offer a critique of the theory of liberal institutional convergence. The latter argues that NPM is a case of empiricist scientific rationalism but the neoclassical economics that justifies public sector outsourcing operates with a closed-system ontology of the economy that has more affinities with Stalinist central planning than to empirical political economic science, and this has real institutional consequences. The argument sets out the neoclassical logic behind outsourcing, the unanticipated risks in its conception and the deepening problems with its intensification as practice. It shows how, when we put the market rhetoric of NMP to one side, outsourcing necessitates the central planning of private actors, and the success of this venture hinges on the viability of the outsourcing contract as an effective junction of instruction and control. If there is institutional convergence in New Public Management it is with Soviet enterprise planning. It follows that it is not simply ‘second-best-world’ neoclassical theories that can shed light on outsourcing's chronic failures but also the critiques of Soviet central planning. The latter help explain why incomplete contracts in outsourcing are just the start of bargaining games that the state cannot win. |
| Keywords: | outsourcing; new public management; neoclassical economics; financialization; supply-side reforms |
| JEL: | J1 |
| Date: | 2020–07–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:104399&r= |