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Course Syllabus

2024/2025

Regional Dimension of Russian Politics

Type: Mago-Lego
Delivered by: School of Politics and Governance
When: 1, 2 module
Open to: students of one campus
Instructors: Yury Gaivoronsky
Language: English
ECTS credits: 6

Course Syllabus

Full Syllabus

Abstract

The course provides students with the knowledge of regional (subnational) political development in contemporary Russia. Its regional dimension gives us a range of distinct political practices despite the reforms of political and territorial centralization in the 21th century. The topic has been in high demand today and can be studied in subnational comparative perspective. There is special attention to subnational political regimes in the context of the evolution of center-periphery relations. The course sheds light on the issues of regional management, the dynamics of gubernatorial appointments, and political relations. The course also introduces the students relevant literature on regional lobbyism, representation, political consequences of fiscal federalism. Features of local politics and self-government will be explored as well. A significant part of the course is dedicated to electoral performance of political parties and gubernatorial candidates. This presupposes to focus on the question of how institutional design affects the development of the party system in subnational units. The section also includes the review of the evolution of «United Russia» as a dominant party paying attention to capabilities and obstacles of its institutionalization. The students will learn the results of subnational elections and factors of electoral behavior (economic voting, social cleavages etc.). The course will familiarize the students with models of electoral space at the federal and subnational levels covering such topics as regionalization, nationalization and institutionalization of electoral space as well as some aspects of electoral volatility and transition.
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  • to provide students with main political developments, trends and structures in regions of Russia
  • to learn students to see comparative perspectives of different political institutions and processes
Expected Learning Outcomes

Expected Learning Outcomes

  • students will be able to analyze Russian regional political development
  • students will be able to analyze possibilities and constrains of the formation of a dominant party system in the Russian regions
  • students will be able to compare and analyze electoral outcomes of gubernatorial elections
  • students will be able to measure electoral space at different territorial levels
  • students will know basic trends in party politics at the subnational level in Russia
  • students will know regional consequences of electoral reforms
  • students will know the role of local elections in Russia.
  • the students will be able to evaluate levels of political control of the federal center over the regions
Course Contents

Course Contents

  • Center-peripheral relations in the 1990s
  • Subnational politics in the 21th century
  • Institutions and actors of centralized control in subnational politics
  • Local Politics in Russia
  • Fiscal Federalism: political factors of federal transfers distribution
  • Evolution of Political Parties in the Russian Regions in the 1990s
  • Party politics in the Russian Regions under Putin
  • United Russia a dominant party: possibilities and constrains at the subnational level
  • Regional dimension of federal elections: evolution of electoral space and geography in Russia
  • Gubernatorial elections
  • Parties and elections at the local level
Assessment Elements

Assessment Elements

  • non-blocking In-class Presentation
    A student should present an in-class report accompanied with slides once during the course (30-40 min). The list of topics is provided by the professor.
  • non-blocking Participation in discussions (at seminars)
    Students are expected to read the readings listed for each lecture before class on the day of that lecture. Each seminar a student can earn 1 point participating in discussions. The student should discuss issues showing familiarity with readings, news or reports.
  • non-blocking Exam
    A student will be provided with 2 randomly selected questions from the list. A student has got 30 min to prepare herself/himself for the oral reply.
Interim Assessment

Interim Assessment

  • 2024/2025 2nd module
    0.4 * Exam + 0.3 * In-class Presentation + 0.3 * Participation in discussions (at seminars)
Bibliography

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

  • Campbell, A., & Ross, C. (2009). Federalism and Local Politics in Russia. Routledge.
  • Gelman, V. (2011). State Power, Governance, and Local Regimes in Russia. Russian Politics & Law, 49(4), 42–52. https://doi.org/10.2753/RUP1061-1940490405
  • Jorge Martinez-Vazquez. (2007). Asymmetric Federalism in Russia: Cure or Poison? Chapters. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.h.elg.eechap.3864.8
  • Kynev, A. (2011). Distinctive Features of Interparty Struggle in the Russian Regions. Russian Politics & Law, 49(2), 70–93. https://doi.org/10.2753/RUP1061-1940490203
  • Ledyaev, V., & Chirikova, A. (2019). Governors and local elites in Russia: patterns of interaction. European Politics & Society, 20(3), 315–332. https://doi.org/10.1080/23745118.2018.1534041
  • Moses, J. C. (2002). Political-Economic Elites and Russian Regional Elections 1999–2000: Democratic Tendencies in Kaliningrad, Perm and Volgograd. Europe-Asia Studies, 54(6), 905–931. https://doi.org/10.1080/0966813022000008456
  • Panov, P., & Ross, C. (2013). Sub-National Elections in Russia: Variations in United Russia’s Domination of Regional Assemblies. Europe-Asia Studies, 65(4), 737–752. https://doi.org/10.1080/09668136.2013.767581
  • Panov, P., & Ross, C. (2017). The dynamic nationalisation of voting for United Russia: the stability / instability of regional deviations from national results. https://doi.org/10.1080/21599165.2017.1415886
  • Reuter, O. (2010). The Politics of Dominant Party Formation: United Russia and Russia’s Governors. Europe-Asia Studies, 62(2), 293–327. https://doi.org/10.1080/09668130903506847
  • Reuter, O. J. (2017). The Origins of Dominant Parties : Building Authoritarian Institutions in Post-Soviet Russia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1491929
  • Ross, C. (2002). Federalism and Democratisation in Russia. Manchester University Press.
  • ROSS, C., & TUROVSKY, R. (2015). Centralized but Fragmented: The Regional Dimension of Russia’s “Party of Power.” Demokratizatsiya, 23(2), 205–223. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=asn&AN=102849699
  • Rostislav Turovsky, & Marina Sukhova. (2018). Contemporary Developments In Russia’S Federal And Local Elections: On The Way To A Cohesive Party System? HSE Working Papers.
  • Rostislav Turovsky. (2016). Russia’S Electoral Space: Change and Continuity in Post-Soviet Perspective. HSE Working Papers.
  • Smyth, R., & Turovsky, R. (2018). Legitimising Victories: Electoral Authoritarian Control in Russia’s Gubernatorial Elections. Europe-Asia Studies, 70(2), 182–201. https://doi.org/10.1080/09668136.2018.1436697
  • Timothy Frye, John Reuter, & Noah Buckley. (2011). The Political Economy of Russian Gubernatorial Election and Appointment. HSE Working Papers.
  • Turovsky, R., & Gaivoronsky, Y. (2017). Russia’s regions as winners and losers: political motives and outcomes in the distribution of federal government transfers. European Politics & Society, 18(4), 529–551. https://doi.org/10.1080/23745118.2017.1286312

Recommended Additional Bibliography

  • Bader, M., & Van Ham, C. (2015). What explains regional variation in election fraud? Evidence from Russia: A research note. https://doi.org/10.1080/1060586X.2014.969023
  • Golosov, G. V. (2017). Legislative Turnover and Executive Control in Russia’s Regions (2003–2014). Europe-Asia Studies, 69(4), 553–570. https://doi.org/10.1080/09668136.2017.1337871
  • Golosov, G. V., & Konstantinova, M. (2016). Gubernatorial Powers in Russia The Transformation of Regional Institutions Under the Centralizing Control of the Federal Authorities. Problems of Post-Communism, 63(4), 241–252. https://doi.org/10.1080/10758216.2016.1146906
  • Knyazev, S. D. (2007). Federalism and Elections in the Russian Federation: National and Regional Aspects. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0731126500002213

Authors

  • Gaivoronskii Iurii Olegovich