Democracy, Civic Culture and Small Business in Russia's Regions: Social Processes in Comparative Historical Perspective

Description

This book adopts a novel analytical approach to understanding how Russia's stalled democratisation is related to the incomplete liberalisation of the economy. Based on extensive original comparative study of Russia’s regions, the book explores the precise channels of interaction that create the mutuality of property rights, entrepreneurship, rule of law, norms of citizenship and liberal democracy. It demonstrates that the extent of democratisation varies across regions, and that this variation is connected to the extent of liberalisation of the economy. Moreover, it argues that the key factor in producing this linkage is the relative prominence of small business owners and their supporters in articulating their interests vis-à-vis regional and local administrations, especially through the institutionalisation of networks and business associations. The book develops its key theses by means of detailed analysis of the experiences of four case study regions. Overall, the book provides a major contribution to understanding the path of democratisation in Russia. Cover Title Copyright Dedication Contents Preface List of abbreviations and terms 1 Small business owners and regional democracy The empirical puzzle A nexus of conceptual ladders Modernization theory Civil society, interest groups and the civic outcome Comparative historical analysis Conclusions and plan of the book 2 Small business owners and regional democracy: quantitative analysis Small business in Russia: scope, trends, context Regression analysis Conclusions 3 Elaborated process mapping and case selection Factor analysis, antecedent conditions, business associations as civic actors The rationale for case selection The case study regions in broad comparison Conclusions and case study structure 4 The Samara region: a tale of two cities Economic geography and business history – antecedent structural conditions Impulse: the democratic breakthrough and its institutionalization Comparative overview of small business development Business associations and small business advocacy – bonding and bridging ‘civic-ness’ Business associations’ dialogue with regional and city administrations – contributions to the openness of policy formulation Entrepreneurs in regional and municipal political office – contributions to the dispersion of regional and local political authority Business, society and the press in the Samara region Civic memory: entrepreneurs and the ‘usable’ past – ideational antecedent conditions The region and the model – conclusions 5 The Smolensk region: small business and the uses of adversity Economic geography and business history – antecedent structural conditions Impulse: the democratic breakthrough and its institutionalization Comparative overview of small business development Business associations and small business advocacy – bonding and bridging ‘civic-ness’ Business associations’ dialogue with regional and municipal administrations – contributions to the openness of policy formulation Entrepreneurs in regional and municipal politics and administrations – contributions to the dispersion of regional and local political authority Business, society and the press in the Smolensk region Civic memory: entrepreneurs and the ‘usable’ past – ideational antecedent conditions The region and the model – conclusions 6 The Rostov region: limits of patrimonial exchange Economic geography and business history – antecedent structural conditions Impulse: the democratic interlude and the Chub ‘restoration’ Comparative overview of small business development Business associations and small business – bonding and bridging ‘civic-ness’ Business associations’ dialogue with regional administrations – contributions to the openness of policy formulation Entrepreneurs in regional political office – contributions to the dispersion of regional and local political authority Business, society and the press in the Rostov region Civic memory: entrepreneurs and the ‘usable past’ – ideational antecedent conditions The region and the model – conclusions 7 The Perm region: entrepreneurship and elite transformation Economic geography and business history – antecedent structural conditions Impulse: the democratic breakthrough and its institutionalization Comparative overview of small business development Business associations and small business advocacy – bonding and bridging ‘civic-ness’ Business associations’ dialogue with regional and city administrations – contributions to the openness of policy formulation Entrepreneurs in regional political office – contributions to the dispersion of regional and local political authority Business, society and the press in the Perm region Civic memory: entrepreneurs and the ‘usable’ past – ideational antecedent conditions The region and the model – conclusions 8 Concluding arguments Processes linking small firm prevalence and democratization Business associations as civic actors Structured case comparison Climbing the conceptual ladder Index