Land Reform in Russia: Institutional Design and Behavioral Responses

Description

This ambitious work is the definitive account of Russia’s land reform initiatives from the late 1980s to today. In Russia, a country controlling more land than any other nation, land ownership is central to structures of power, class division, and agricultural production.   The aim of Russian land reform for the past thirty years—to undo the collectivization of the Soviet era and encourage public ownership—has been largely unsuccessful. To understand this failure, Stephen Wegren examines contemporary land reform policies in terms of legislation, institutional structure, and human behavior. Using extensive survey data, he analyzes household behaviors in regard to land ownership and usage based on socioeconomic status, family size, demographic distribution, and regional differences. Wegren’s study is important and timely, as Russian land reform will have a profound effect on Russia’s ability to compete in an era of globalization. Contents Preface Acknowledgments Note on Transliteration and Sources Glossary Part One: Policy Design and Legislative Context 1. Russia’s Contemporary Land Reform: An Overview 2. Politics and Property Rights in the Soviet Period 3. Politics and Property Rights in the Yeltsin Period, 1992–99 4. Politics and Property Rights in the Putin Period and Beyond Part Two: Behavioral Responses 5. Rural Households’ Land Holdings, Enlargement, and Rental 6. The Effects of Land Reform: Stratification and Class Development 7. The Effects of Rural Demographics and Labor on Households’ Land 8. The Regional Impact on Households’ Land 9. Russia’s Contemporary Land Reform: An Assessment Appendix A: Selected Governmental Acts Concerning Land Reform in the USSR and the RSFSR, 1990–91 Appendix B: Selected Governmental Acts Concerning Land Reform in the Russian Federation, 1992–2006 Appendix C: The Post-Soviet Land Code Appendix D: Survey Methodology and Description of Villages, 1995–2006 Notes Index