Putin s United Russia Party 1st Edition by Sean P Roberts ISBN 0203180917 9780203180914

1 Ruling Parties and Dominant-Power Politics The Theoretical Framework

Russia as an Exceptional Democracy?

Dominant-Power Politics and Russia’s Democratic Credentials

Defining Dominant-Power Politics

The Mechanisms of Party Dominance

The Electoral Process and Ruling Parties – Managing Elections to Perpetuate Power

The Governing Role – Ruling in the Party’s Interests

The Integrating Role of Ruling Parties – Elites and Society

Varieties of Ruling Party

Ruling Parties and Agency Theory

Context and the Mechanisms of Dominance

Concluding Remarks

2 Parties of Power The Origins of United Russia

The Russian Party of Power

Case Selection: Identifying Parties of Power

The Party of Power as a Party Agent

The Imperative for Party Support in the Russian Federation

The Problem of Creating Reliable Party Support

The Appearance of the First Parties of Power

The Demise of the Democratic Movement as a Viable Party of Power

The Significance of the 1995/6 Election Cycle

The Appearance of Our Home is Russia and the Importance of the Elite Variable

The Dynamics of the Russian Party of Power

The Significance of the Elite Variable, 1999/2000

The Fall of Our Home is Russia, the Rise of the Unity Project

The Reversal of the Principal–Agent Relationship

Concluding Remarks

3 Managing Elections Delivering the Right Result

Explaining the Electoral Success of the Post-Yeltsin Regime

The Party of Power and Presidential Elections

Parliamentary Elections in the Post-Yeltsin Period

Resource Advantage and Electoral Success

Candidate Recruitment and Voter Mobilisation

Candidate Recruitment and Electoral Success in the Regions

The Effects of Institutional Affiliation

Before the Election

During the Election

After the Election

The Party Message and Voter Mobilisation

Party Message as a Factor in United Russia’s Success

Projecting Success onto United Russia

Managed Elections as a Feature of the Post-Yeltsin Period

Managing Participation as a Multi-Party Strategy

The Putin Factor, 2000–10

Concluding Remarks

4 Governance in the Post-Yeltsin Period The Locale of Power

Rationalising Executive–Legislative Relations

Opposition and Government in the Post-Soviet Period

Penetration into Power

A Dominant Force in the Party-System or the Political System?

United Russia as a Ruling Party

The Principal–Agent Relationship

A Tool for Managing Parliament and the Party-System

A Tool for Managing the Regions

The Party as an Enforcer of Incumbent Authority

Controlling Financial Flows and Managing the Economy

The Ambiguity of United Russia’s Governing Role

Concluding Remarks

5 The Politics of Stability United Russia as an Integrative Force

The Integrative Rationale of an All-National Party

United Russia and the Regional Connection

The Creation of the All-National Party

United Russia as an Integrating Force

The Formal Organisation

Socialisation

The Centripetal Pull of the Party

Collective Benefits

Selective Benefits

The Limits of Integration

Maintaining a Weak Party Monopoly

A Solution to the Problem of Collective Action?

Concluding Remarks

6 Parties and Regime Outcomes The Post-Yeltsin Ruling Party

Dominant-Power Politics and Party Roles

Why not an Explanatory Variable?

United Russia in Comparative Perspective

Parties as Explanatory Variables

Future Political Development in Russia

Notes

Introduction

1 Ruling parties and dominant-power politics

2 Parties of power

3 United Russia and dominant-power politics

4 Governance in the post-Yeltsin period

5 The politics of stability

References

Index