Russia's Transition to Democracy: Essays 1-10

Abstract

The ten essays contained herein are the first in a series of twenty prepared for translation into Russian and publication in Moscow's Independent Gazette. Their translation into Russian will incorporate a number of details particular to Russia that are not included in the current English versions. In any event, these essays are predicated on the assumption that Russians know democracy only in superficial and sometimes inaccurate ways - - that they fail to appreciate the interrelationships of constitutional institutions, of extra-constitutional structures, and of the give-and-take of democratic process that sometimes seems chaotic to those unaccustomed to the interplay of these institutions and structures. Support for this project was provided by the University of Maryland's project on Institutional Reform and The Informal Sector (IRIS). We also would like to thank Olga Shvetsova for her suggestions on topics that require coverage and her comments on the essays' specific content.