Democracy in a Russian Mirror

This book examines the current state of Russia and the prospects for democracy.

Adam Przeworski (Edited by)

9781107053397, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 21 May 2015

354 pages, 2 b/w illus.
23.6 x 15.8 x 2.8 cm, 0.69 kg

'This edited volume examines contemporary Russia in light of democratic theory and democratic theory in light of the Russian experience. It brings together a top-notch group of scholars of democracy and a well-known group of experts on Russian politics from Russia. Their contributions are helpful in understanding how democracy and its individual elements work and illuminate the limits and contradictions of modern democratic countries.' Timothy Frye, Marshall D. Shulman Professor of Post-Soviet Foreign Policy, Columbia University

What can we learn about democracy from the experience of post-Soviet Russia? What can we learn about the prospects for democracy in Russia from the experience of 'really existing democracies'? Must some 'pre-requisites', cultural or material, be fulfilled for democracy to become possible? This book examines the current state of Russia and the prospects for democracy, posing several challenges to our understanding of democracy. Thirteen contributors expand the debate over these questions, offering a variety of insights, interpretations, and conclusions vital to understanding the conditions of emergence and survival of successful democracies.

Introduction
Part I. Russia: 1. Peculiarities of Russian politics Andranik Migranyan
2. Imitating democracy, imitating authoritarianism Stephen Holmes
3. Russian perspectives on democracy, political emancipation, and integrity Mikhail Ilyin
4. Color revolutions and Russia Valery Solovei
Part II. Democracy in a Russian Mirror: 5. Judging democracy as form of government for given territories: utopia or apologetics? John Dunn
6. Democracy: ancient and modern, good and bad Pasquale Pasquino
7. The role of elections in democracy Boris Makarenko
8. Elections and the challenge of more democracy José María Maravall
9. Democracy between elections Ian Shapiro
10. General settings, regional/national factors and the concept of non-western democracy Alexei D. Voskressenski
11. 'Non-western democracy' in the West Adam Przeworski
Part III. Paths of Political Change: 12. Instituting political change John Ferejohn
13. Political institution and political order(s) Adam Przeworski
14. How do transitions to democracy get stuck and where? Boris Makarenko and Andrei Melville
Afterword: open issues and disagreements.

Subject Areas: Political structures: democracy [JPHV], Political science & theory [JPA]