Russia Transformed
Developing Popular Support for a New Regime

Studies how Russians have reacted to the new regime following the fall of communism.

Richard Rose (Author), William Mishler (Author), Neil Munro (Author)

9780521871754, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 23 November 2006

240 pages, 19 tables
23.5 x 15.8 x 1.8 cm, 0.508 kg

' … a remarkable book …' Political Studies Review

Since the fall of communism Russia has undergone a treble transformation of its political, social and economic system. The government is an autocracy in which the Kremlin manages elections and administers the law to suit its own ends. It does not provide the democracy that most citizens desire. Given a contradiction between what Russians want and what they get, do they support their government and, if so, why? Using the New Russia Barometer - a unique set of public opinion surveys from 1992 to 2005 - this book shows that it is the passage of time that has been most important in developing support for the new regime. Although there remains great dissatisfaction with the regime's corruption, it has become accepted as a lesser evil to alternatives. The government appears stable today, but will be challenged by constitutional term limits forcing President Putin to leave office in 2008.

Introduction: transformation and its aftermath
1. Time matters: the dynamics of regime support
2. The supply of regimes: democratic and autocratic
3. A changing supply of Russian regimes
4. Uncertainties of transformation: a view from the bottom
5. Changing levels of regime support
6. Social structure and the evaluation of regimes
7. Influence of political performance and values
8. Finding the economic influences that matter
9. The impact of the passage of time
10. What could challenge the new equilibrium?
Appendix A. New Russia Barometer samples
Appendix B. Coding of variables.

Subject Areas: Politics & government [JP]