49015 - Economy and Regional Policies in Russia

Course contents

The course of lectures dealing with transformation of Russian economy and regional policy since disintegration of the USSR in 1991, as well as with analysis of future trends in development of national economy and regional policy of Russian Federation in mid-term perspective.

In first part of the course, lecturer gives a political economy's analysis of debate about history, current state and future of Russian socio-economic system and characteristics of transformation of national economy from central planning system to market-based system nowadays. Key sectors of Russian economy (energy, telecom, defense industry, as well as macroeconomic policy, monetary policy, financial markets), and key economic partner of Russia in world economy (the European Union, Commonwealth of Independent States, USA and Pacific Rim countries) will be discussed.

Second part of the course is devoted to establishment and functioning of current structure of interregional relations inside Russia between “federal center” and 83 regions. This structure has both elements of federal state, as well as a unitary state under strong control economic and political life by the Presidential Administration and Government of Russia. Several case-studies, including St.Petersburg and Kaliningrad region, will give students better understanding of the structure under analysis in second part of the course.

Readings/Bibliography

Anders Aslund & Andrew Kuchins. Russia's Balance Sheet. PIIE-CSIS, April 2009. Text of the book can be found at: http://bookstore.piie.com/book-store//4242.html

Anders Åslund, Sergei Guriev and Andrew Kuchins. Russia after the Global Economic Crisis. PIIE-CSIS, May 2010. Text of the book can be fount at: http://bookstore.piie.com/book-store//4976.html
           Aron, Leon. Everything You Think You Know About the Collapse of the Soviet Union Is Wrong. In: Foreign Policy, July/August 2011.

Fischer, Stanley. Russia and the Soviet Union then and now. NBER Working paper # 4077, May 1992.

Gaidar, Yegor. Collapse of an Empire: Lessons for Modern Russia. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2009. Chapter IV: Cracks in the Foundation: The Soviet Union in the Early 1980s, Chapter VI: Development of the Crisis in the Socialist System. P. 71-200.

Liuhto, Kari. Energy in Russian Foreign Policy. Electronic Publications of Pan-European Institute 10/2010.

Millar, James R. Putin and the economy. In: Ed. by Dale R. Herspring. Putin's Russia: Past Imperfect, Future Uncertain. Rowman&Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 2005. P. 121-140.

Pursiainen, Christer. Russia between integration and protectionism: International road transport, ports, and the forestry sector. Nordregio Working Paper 2007:2. Stokckholm, Sweden.

Shleifer, Andrei, Daniel Treisman. A Normal Country. NBER Working Paper # 10057, October 2003. http://www.nber.org/papers/w10057.

Sutela, Peka. Russia's Economic prospects. Carnegie Endowment, March 28, 2011.

The Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation. Approved by Dmitry A. Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation, on 12 July 2008

Tkachenko, Stanislav. Searching Russia's economic past for secrets of growth. Russia beyond the Headlines. December 31, 2013. Permanent address of the article: http://rbth.ru/business/2013/12/31/searching_russias_economic_past_for_secrets_of_growth_33045.html

Tkachenko, Stanislav. Actors in Russia's Energy Policy towards the EU. In: Ed. by Pami Aalto.The EU-Russian energy dialogue: Europe's future energy security. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2008. P. 163-192.

White, Stephen. Understanding Russian Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Especially chapter 4: From plan to market (p. 115-162).

Teaching methods

This class combines lectures and discussions, based on reading of literature, proposed by the lecturer. Lectures and discussions in a seminar style are interrelated. The lectures and readings cover some basic points, but lectures usually are not directly on the readings. Power-point presentations will be provided for all lectures. The discussions focus specifically on the readings

Assessment methods

1) Daily preparation and class discussions. Although it is principally a course of lectures, students are expected to be prepared to discuss the readings analytically during all lectures of the course;

2) A research projects (paper up to 15 pages and a power-point presentation of main findings) should be sent by e-mail to the lecturer at the end of the course. Topic of each of research projects should be discussed with the lecturer and is based on one of the lectures of the course. Maximum two students may establish “research group” to deal with project

3) Multiple-choice test (in class at the final lecture of the course)

4) A written take-home exam consists of two parts. One of them will be based on the knowledge of course' material and obligatory readings (up to 4 pages), and second will be a general topic on Russian economy and/or regional policies (up to 3 page essay). The topics will be distributed at the final lecture of the course. Exam essays MIREES students should submit in 30 days after that to e-mail address of instructor: stanislavltkachenko@gmail.com

Teaching tools

Lectures, Power-point presentations, case-studies, discussions on literature from “obligatory readings” list