Democracy Derailed in Russia

M. Steven Fish is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2000–1 he was a Fulbright fellow and Visiting Professor of Political Science and Sociology at the European University at St Petersburg. He is the author of Democracy from Scratch: Opposition and Regime in the New Russian Revolution (1995) and a co-author of Postcommunism and the Theory of Democracy (2001). He has published articles in Comparative Political Studies, East European Constitutional Review, East European Politics and Societies, Europe-Asia Studies, the Journal of Democracy, Post-Soviet Affairs, Slavic Review, World Politics and numerous edited volumes.

• 1. Introduction; 2. Some concepts and how they apply to Russia; 3. Symptoms of the failure of democracy; 4. The Russian condition in global perspective; 5. The structural problem: grease and glitter; 6. The policy problem: economic statism; 7. The institutional problem: superpresidentialism; 8. Can democracy get back on track?

'Interest in Russian politics and society is on the increase in 2006, sparked mainly by concerns about Putin's commitment to democracy (especially in the light of efforts to suppress the independence of NGO's) and the use of Russia's natural resources in the pursuance of foreign policy objectives (brought into focus by the gas price dispute with Ukraine). Democracy Derailed thus makes a very timely contribution to the literature. Fish has produced a highly informative book that will be of use both to readers with a background in post-communist transformation as well as those with a general interest in Russia … its presentation is accessible and includes anecdotes and personal accounts that bring together data with real life experience.' Development and Change