The tenth edition of this go-to text offers critical discussion of contemporary Russian politics and its fundamental principles. It covers established topics such as executive leadership, parties, and elections as well as newer issues of national identity, protest, and Russia and Greater Eurasia. Taking a bottom-up approach, Developments in Russian Politics 10 analyzes the political system in which Putin’s influence can be understood and covers frequently overlooked topics like the informal economy, climate change, and gender. The book is organized around the informal politics of hybrid regimes and authoritarianism and accounts for how Russian history impacts contemporary politics in counterintuitive ways, addressing notions of hybrid warfare, disinformation, and election meddling. The chapters have a modular quality and are designed to correspond to course teaching. Compiled by an international team of specialists and offering key questions, further reading suggestions, and a list of up-to-date repositories of video material, the edition will appeal to undergraduate and postgraduate students from across the world.

Henry E. Hale is Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at The George Washington University.

Juliet Johnson is Professor of Political Science at McGill University.

Tomila V. Lankina is Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

List of Contributors  vii
Preface / Henry E. Hale, Juliet Johnson, and Tomila V. Lankina  xi
1. Putin and the Dynamics of Russia’s Political System / Henry E. Hale  1
2. Russian and Soviet History / Kristy Ironside  19
3. How Russia’s Past Influences Current Politics / Tomila V. Lankina  47
4. Nationalism, Identity, and the Russia-Ukraine War / Gulnaz Sharafutdinova  69
5. Russia’s Gendered Politics / Valerie Sperling  87
6. Russia’s Informal Economy / Yoshiko M. Herrera and Evgeniya Mitrokhina  127
8. Formal Institutions of Governance / Grigorii V. Golosov  143
9. Authoritarian Mechanics / David Szakonyi  161
10. Federalism and Centre-Periphery Relations / Vladimir Gel’man 181
11. Chechnya / Mart Iliyasov  199
12. Inequality and Marginalized Groups / Jeremy Morris  219
13. Protest and Civil Society / Katerina Tertytchnaya  235
14. Climate Change / Debra Javeline  253
15. Russia’s Invasion and Ukraine’s Resistance / Maria Popova and Oxana Shevel  267
16. Russian Foreign Policy / Kathryn Stoner  293
Notes  315
References  317
Index  343