Russians want free elections and order. Although their political elites have had no difficulty in supplying candidates and parties in the last decade, predictability in everyday life and the rule of law have suffered. This book is about Russia's attempt to achieve democratization backwards, by holding elections without having created a modern state. This dilemma is the challenge that Russia presents to Vladimir Putin.

Review

"[A]n unusually insightful book that will long remain topical. Rose and Munro have captured the essence of the conundrums and contradictions that have characterized Russia's rocky political developments since the collapse of the Soviet Union now more than ten years ago." Andrew Kuchins, Carnegie Moscow Center, Slavic Review

"Rose and Munro have written an important, original, and exceptionally lucid book. Elections Without Order deepens our understanding of the nature and dynamics of political change in Russia during the past decade. The study is conceptually innovative and especially valuable for its analyses of recent trends in Russian public opinion." Professor George Breslauer, University of California, Berkeley

"Richard Rose, who has a justly high reputation as a comparativist, and Neil Munro, a knowledgeable Russianist, have together produced a very valuable book. Elections without Order rests on the solid foundation of the cumulatively important survey data gathered by Rose on the post Communist states (from 1992 to the present) and from the authors' skill in interpreting these findings. Rose and Munro pay attention to the state as well as society. In their top-down as well as bottom-up analyses, they perceptively identify and vividly illuminate some of the major obstacles in the path of democratization in Russia." Professor Archie Brown, Oxford University

"...provides a timely discussion that not only presents Russia's challenge to Putin but also challenges scholars to reassess the meaning of post-Communist elections." The Russian Review

"Highly recommended." Choice

Book Description

Russians want both free elections and order. In the past decade Russia's political elites have had no difficulty in supplying a great choice of candidates and parties. But order--a sense of predictability in everyday life and the rule of law--has been in short supply. This book is about Russia's attempt to achieve democratization backwards, holding elections without having created a modern state. This is the challenge t hat Russia presents to Vladimir Putin. The authors draw on unrivalled survey and polling data, presented concisely and clearly.