Managed Civil Society and Police Oversight in Russia

Regional Police–Public Councils

Bibliographic Data

ID12298917
AuthorsLauren A Mccarthy (0000-0001-9169-4375, corresponding author), Katherine Stolerman, Anton V Tikhomirov
Year2020
Volume72
Issue9
Pages1498-1522
Publication date2020-10-20
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEurope Asia Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0966-8136 • E-ISSN: 1465-3427
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09668136.2020.1832964
OpenAlexW3096314609
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited35

This article examines the official police oversight bodies, the ‘public councils’ under the Ministry of Internal Affairs (obshchestvennyi sovet pri MVD), using publicly available data from 40 regional councils. We find that council members are loyal and highly regarded individuals likely to be friendly to state interests. Councils primarily focus on promoting state goals, using the media to perpetuate a positive image of the police, and encouraging traditional values rather than more critical oversight. However, councils also work on non-contentious everyday problems such as improving road safety, preventing crime, and engaging with local youth. This article shows how the Russian state is reconstituting its relationship with society through these state-sanctioned bodies

Civil society · Criminal justice · Police science · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Policing Practices and Perceptions · Public Administration