Neil Robinson has a new book out on The Political Economy of Russia.

From the backcover:

This timely book explores Russia’s political development since the collapse of the USSR and how inextricably it has been bound up with economic change. Tracing the evolution of Russia’s political economy, leading scholars consider how it may continue to develop going forward. They assess the historical legacies of the Soviet period, showing how—despite policies implemented after the USSR dissolved in 1991—there are ongoing bitter battles over property and state revenues, over land, and over welfare. The book puts these domestic issues in international and comparative perspective by considering Russia’s position in the global economy and its growing role as a major energy producer. Focusing especially on the nature and future of Russian capitalism, the contributors weigh the political problems that confront Russia in its ongoing struggle to modernize and develop its economy.

Neil Robinson has assembled an impressive group of specialists to explore the many challenges facing Russia as it searches for a sustainable development strategy.

 

— Peter Rutland, Wesleyan University

The Political Economy of Russia offers excellent analyses of the relationships between the state, the economy, and society in the post-Soviet Russian Federation. It is a significant contribution not only to the study of Russia but to the comparativist debates on the varieties of capitalism. The book includes studies of taxation, property rights, demography, and agriculture. It shows that, far from being an 'energy superpower,' Russia belongs to the semiperiphery of the world system and that the state under Putin and Medvedev continues to play a predatory rather than a developmental role.

— Peter J. S. Duncan, University College London

Also available at The Book Depository and Amazon.