Non-Democratic Federalism and Decentralization in Post-Soviet States

by Irina Busygina

Author	: Irina Busygina
Publisher	: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages	: 205
Release	: 2023-11-30
Genre	: Political Science
ISBN	: 1000998800

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This book challenges the common perception of authoritarian regimes as incompatible with federalism and decentralization. It examines how the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan have managed to exploit federalism and decentralization as useful instruments to help them preserve control, avoid political instability, and to shift blame to the regional authorities in times of crises and policy failures. The authors explain how post-Soviet authoritarian regimes balance the advantages and risks and emphasize the contradictory role of external influences and threats to the institutional design of federalism and decentralization. Advancing our understanding of how the institutions of federalism and decentralization are skillfully constrained, but at the same time used by authoritarian incumbents, they show that federalism and decentralization matter in non-democracies, though the nondemocratic character of the political systems greatly modifies their effects. The authors show the implication of the COVID-19 crisis and current Russian war against Ukraine for the center-regional relations in Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. This book will be of interest to scholars and students of post-Soviet politics, decentralization, federalism, and modern authoritarianism.

De Facto States in the Post-Soviet Area

by Agnieszka Miarka

Author	: Agnieszka Miarka
Publisher	: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages	: 254
Release	: 2023-11-24
Genre	: Political Science
ISBN	: 1003800939

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This book provides an insightful analysis and holistic account of the process of the formation of de facto states in the post-Soviet area. Looking beyond the stereotype of mere puppet subjects, the author explores the contemporary operation of separatist regions in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Transnistria, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Donbas to understand the motives and mechanisms for their emergence and their instrumentalization in the politics of great powers. Using policy documents, quantitative data, and political statements, she explores the historical origins of the area and its operation during the Soviet era, armed separatist conflicts and their implications, and the actions of the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the European Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the role of powers such as the Russian Federation and the US. The research contributes to the debate on the significance of de facto states for regional security and their potential for national identity building. It will be of interest to scholars and students of Russia and the Post-Soviet Area in International Relations and Nation-Building.

Ethnicity and Territory in the Former Soviet Union

by Dr James Hughes

Author	: Dr James Hughes
Publisher	: Routledge
Total Pages	: 272
Release	: 2014-09-25
Genre	: Political Science
ISBN	: 1136342044

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The collapse of the Soviet empire in 1991 removed a decades-long system of successful control of potential ethnic and regional conflict . The result was the eruption of numerous conflicts over state-building, some of which degenerated into violence and some of which were resolved or prevented by strategies of accommodation. This volume explores the common trends and differences in the responses of the new post-Soviet states to the problems of state-building in ethnically and regionally divided societies, focusing on the impact of ethnic and regional conflicts on post-communist transition and institutional development. The book will be essential reading for specialists and students alike who are interested in conflict regulation and post-Soviet politics.

How Geography and Institutions Shaped the Development of Nations

by Irina Busygina

Author	: Irina Busygina
Publisher	: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages	: 268
Release	: 2024-11-20
Genre	: Social Science
ISBN	: 104025926X

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This book provides a concise and informative introduction to how geography and institutions shaped the development of nations, showing that while the role of institutions for the development of nations is indisputable, the role of geographic factors remains underexplored and underestimated. Drawing on rich empirical material from the history and modernity of different continents and nations, How Geography and Institutions Shaped the Development of Nations: Across Countries and Continents seeks to show not only the importance of geographical explanations of development but also their extraordinary diversity. This book is divided into two parts. The first part examines the main contributions to the understanding of development under the influence of geographic and institutional factors, as well as state’s geographic attributes and borders as geographic institutions. The second part immerses the reader in empirical material, presenting various cases on different continents in different historical periods. This book is an essential read for researchers in a broad range of areas, including international organizations and practitioners involved accelerating national development. It will also be of interest to scholars and students in development studies and, more broadly, to geography, comparative politics, and regional studies.

The Political Economy of Democratic Decentralization

by James Manor

Author	: James Manor
Publisher	: World Bank Publications
Total Pages	: 152
Release	: 1999
Genre	: Business & Economics
ISBN	:

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Nearly all countries worldwide are now experimenting with decentralization. Their motivation are diverse. Many countries are decentralizing because they believe this can help stimulate economic growth or reduce rural poverty, goals central government interventions have failed to achieve. Some countries see it as a way to strengthen civil society and deepen democracy. Some perceive it as a way to off-load expensive responsibilities onto lower level governments. Thus, decentralization is seen as a solution to many different kinds of problems. This report examines the origins and implications decentralization from a political economy perspective, with a focus on its promise and limitations. It explores why countries have often chosen not to decentralize, even when evidence suggests that doing so would be in the interests of the government. It seeks to explain why since the early 1980s many countries have undertaken some form of decentralization. This report also evaluates the evidence to understand where decentralization has considerable promise and where it does not. It identifies conditions needed for decentralization to succeed. It identifies the ways in which decentralization can promote rural development. And it names the goals which decentralization will probably not help achieve.

Liberation Technology

by Larry Diamond

Author	: Larry Diamond
Publisher	: JHU Press
Total Pages	: 205
Release	: 2012-07-30
Genre	: Political Science
ISBN	: 1421405687

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Liberation Technology brings together cutting-edge scholarship from scholars and practitioners at the forefront of this burgeoning field of study. An introductory section defines the debate with a foundational piece on liberation technology and is then followed by essays discussing the popular dichotomy of liberation'' versus "control" with regard to the Internet and the sociopolitical dimensions of such controls. Additional chapters delve into the cases of individual countries: China, Egypt, Iran, and Tunisia.

Federalism and Decentralization in Sub-Saharan Africa

by Jan Erk

Author	: Jan Erk
Publisher	: Routledge
Total Pages	: 188
Release	: 2018-12-07
Genre	: Political Science
ISBN	: 1351718819

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The 1990s were marked by democratic reforms throughout Africa, which went in tandem with decentralization reforms. The chapters of the volume all highlight the gradual changes that have taken place since. Long-term structural uncodified factors – be it societal, economic, geographic, demographic – seem to have interacted with the constitutional clauses introduced during the reforms. Some chapters look at how decentralization slowly gave way to recentralization because none of the new subnational entities were politically and economically strong enough to balance off the center; some look at how inherent deficiencies in infrastructure and personnel at the subnational level brought the central government back in; some look at how different subnational units ended up working differently due to differences in demographic and social factors; some look at how uncodified factors came to determine how national politics functioned; some look at how decentralization created new conflicts between ethnic groups competing for the control of the new entities; some look at how decentralization blew new life into traditional authorities. This book was original published as a special issue of Regional and Federal Studies.

Russia-EU Relations and the Common Neighbourhood

by Irina Busygina

Author	: Irina Busygina
Publisher	: Post-Soviet Politics
Total Pages	: 272
Release	: 2017
Genre	: European Union countries
ISBN	: 9781138215467

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"Examining Russia-EU relations in terms of the forms and types of power tools they use, this book argues that the main source of tensions lies in deep differences in their preferences for the international status quo; the nature of the Russian state explains its routine use of coercion, while as a weak federal union, the EU is 'doomed' to use tools based on authority" -

Decentralization, Regional Diversity, and Conflict

by Hanna Shelest

Author	: Hanna Shelest
Publisher	: Springer Nature
Total Pages	: 378
Release	: 2020-07-28
Genre	: Political Science
ISBN	: 3030417654

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This edited volume focuses on the links between the ongoing crisis in and around Ukraine, regional diversity, and the reform of decentralization. It provides in-depth insights into the historical constitution of regional diversity and the evolution of center-periphery relationships in Ukraine, the legal qualification of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine, and the role of the decentralization reform in promoting conflict resolution, as well as modernization, democratization and European integration of Ukraine. Particular emphasis lies on the securitization of both regional diversity issues and territorial self-government arrangements in terms of Russia’s support for self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. The volume captures the complexity of contemporary “hybrid” conflicts, involving both internal and external aspects, and the hybridization and securitization of territorial self-governance solutions. It thus provides an important contribution to the debate on territorial self-government and conflict resolution.