CPSU Legacies and Regional Democracy in Contemporary Russia

Bibliographic Data

ID6344882
AuthorsAlexander Libman (0000-0001-8504-3007, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management), Anastassia Obydenkova (0000-0001-5099-5294, Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Anastassia V Obydenkova
Year2015
Volume63
Issue1_suppl
Pages173-190
Publication date2015-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePolitical Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0032-3217 • E-ISSN: 1467-9248
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1111/1467-9248.12133
OpenAlexW1593377740
LanguageEN
Citations received23
References cited94

This article investigates the impact of Communist historical legacies on the variation of sub-national regimes in a federal state. It focuses on the Russian Federation and studies the role of sub-national variations of membership rates in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the 1970s and 1980s as a predictor of regional democracy in Russia in the 2000s. Using a unique dataset collected by the authors, the article shows that past CPSU membership rates continue to have a significant and negative impact on democracy at the sub-national level. The article also investigates possible mechanisms of this effect and links them to the persistence of Soviet bureaucracies and their role in exercising control over regional economies. These findings contribute to understanding the complex nexus of federalism and sub-national democracy and to the study of the role of communist legacies in democratisation

Bureaucracy · Communism · Democracy · Democratization · Development economics · Economics · Federalism · Nexus (standard · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Soviet union · State (computer science · China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Public Administration

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