Democracy derailed in Russia

by M. Steven Fish

"In this book, M. Steven Fish offers an explanation for the direction of regime change in post-Soviet Russia. Relying on cross-national comparative analysis and in-depth field research in Russia, Fish shows that Russia's failure to democratize has three causes: too much economic reliance on oil, too little economic liberalization, and too weak a national legislature. Fish's explanation challenges others that have attributed Russia's political travails to history, political culture, or "shock therapy" in economic policy. Democracy Derailed in Russia offers a theoretically original and empirically rigorous explanation for one of the most pressing political problems of our time."--Jacket.