Article
The institutionalization of relative advantage: formal institutions, subconstitutional presidential powers, and the rise of authoritarian politics in Russia, 1994–2012
What role do formal institutions play in the consolidation of authoritarian regimes such as the Russian Federation? Oftentimes, it is assumed that autocrats, usually potent presidents, wield informal powers and control far-flung patron–client networks that undermine formal institutions and bolster their rule. After the institutional turn in authoritarianism studies, elections, parties, legislatures, or courts have taken center stage, yet presidencies and public law are still on the margins of this research paradigm. This paper proposes a method for measuring subconstitutional presidential power and its change by federal law, decrees, and Constitutional Court rulings as well as a theoretical framework for explaining when and under which conditions subconstitutional presidential power expands. It is argued that as a result of a gradual, small-scale, and slow-moving process of layering, presidential powers have been accumulated over time. This furthers the institutionalization of presidential advantage toward other federal and regional institutions, which in turn contributes to the consolidation of authoritarianism.
The article outlines new contracts, regulating social relations on railway transport in the light of the current structural reform of this mode of transport. The aim of this reform is to provide a smooth economically sound transition of the natural monopolist - the railway service - to the market economy environment. However, the implementation of the reform has been downplayed. This can be explained by the fact that Russian Railways (RZD) have been maintaining their functions as the carrier while simultaneously handling the infrastructure facilities as the proprietor of both the infrastructure per se and the rolling stock. In the current laws these functions are to be executed by different subjects on a contractual basis, what has been shown in the paper. New contracts mentioned in the article must get legal framework in relation to other modes of transport.
Lawmaking of courts is objectively generated by the nature of the criminal law. Russian law differs from case law and is in need of improvement by the way of wider publication of judicial decisions and the content of their positions.
Истражујући историјске везе Србије и Русије стиче се утисак да је у досадашњем времену већа пажња поклањана уметничким, културним, духовним и политичким, а знатно мање економским односима наших држава и народа. Управо због тога историјат економских веза нема тако богату прошлост, какав је случај са дугом традицијом и богатством српско-руске сарадње на осталим пољима. Први документи о економској сарадњи ове две земље потичу из 15. века када су први трговци путовали из Србије у Русију и обратно. Србија је први кредит од Русије добила 1867. године за изградњу железнице од Радујевца до Ниша. У новије време економски односи се значајно интензивирају и може се рећи они сада представљају прву и главну линију српско-руске сарадње. Србија је са Русијом 2000. године склопила Споразум о слободној трговини који омогућава нашој земљи да преко 95% домаћих производа извезе у Русију без царине. То је веома важан адут наше земље у привлачењу страних инвестиција, али и у бољем искоришћавању сопствених ресурса кроз покривање тражње на огромном руском тржишту. Србија и Русија су током 2008. године закључиле Споразум о сарадњи у нафтногасној области и Меморандум о разумевању за реализацију гасовода ЈУЖНИ ТОК, чија изградња је почела крајем 2012. године. Ради се о крупном и изузетно значајном пројекту чијом реализацијом ће се обезбедити енергетска сигурност наше земље, уз низ пратећих погодности за убрзани економски развој читаве привреде. Највећа руска банка СБЕРБАНКА започела је пословање у нашој земљи, а у најави су и стратешко партнерство руских компанија са смедеревском железаром, као и улагања у читав низ пројеката у нашој земљи. Под повољним условима започиње реализација руског кредита у износу од 800 милиона долара намењеног реконструкцији и модернизацији наших железница, а ускоро се очекује нови кредитни аранжман од једне милијарде долара. Велике инвестиције очекују се кроз војно-техничку сарадњу, као и на реализацији читавог низа других развојних пројеката. Потпуно је излишна дилема да ли се Србија окреће истоку или западу. Најбоља је солуција за све да Србија буде мост за повезивање истока и запада, пре свега у економској, али и не мање важним подручјима културне, научне, безбедносне, политичке и сваке друге корисне сарадње која ће бити на ползу земљама и народима који се у ту сарадњу укључују.
Various forms of dictatorship have been a context in which SBS have been developing through most of the 20th century. Nazi and fascist regimes in Europe, Communist single-party states, military juntas in Latin America and elsewhere in the post-colonial world accompanied the crisis of tradition and development of modernity as an alternative to liberal democracy. Dictatorships have thoroughly affected the history of SBS pursuing a policy of repression and control and, sometimes, encouraging a growth of various social science disciplines. The lack of intellectual and institutional autonomy is generally endured, though to different degrees and in different aspects, by SBS under dictatorship.
This article focuses on the American experience of guaranteeing decisional independence of judges. Historically the United States turned to be the pioneer in the area of legislative regulation of the status of judiciary power. With forming the normative base of both functioning of judiciary and the status of judges the following factor (which was repeatedly emphasized by the Founding Fathers) was taken into consideration: actual separation of powers is impossible without independent judiciary, and thus institutional independence of judiciary is impossible without decisional independence of individual judges. The article includes some comments of American judges regarding the essence generating prestige and institutional independence of the American judiciary and the qualities necessary for a good judge. The article also describes the doctrine of judicial activism.
This article is about alternative strategies of constitutional transformation in the period of elaboration of the Russian Constitution of 1993. The author analyses historical origins of basic constitutional principles such as parliament democracy, separation of powers and different forms of government and their interpretation during political crisis of the period under consideration.
The article is dedicated to historical analysis of crimes committed on securities market till the 20th century. Important part of the article is indication of economic conditions. Thanks for it the meaning of legal acts becomes clear. The author concludes on existence the developed securities market and necessary criminal rules to its protection.
The paper examines the principles for the supervision of financial conglomerates proposed by BCBS in the consultative document published in December 2011. Moreover, the article proposes a number of suggestions worked out by the authors within the HSE research team.
This special publication for the 2012 New Delhi Summit is a collection of articles by government officials from BRICS countries, representatives of international organizations, businessmen and leading researchers.
The list of Russian contributors includes Sergei Lavrov, Foreign Minister of Russia, Maxim Medvedkov, Director of the Trade Negotiations Department of the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, Vladimir Dmitriev, Vnesheconombank Chairman, Alexander Bedritsky, advisor to the Russian President, VadimLukov, Ambassador-at-large of the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry, and representatives of the academic community.
The publication also features articles by the President of Kazakhstan NursultanNazarbayev and internationally respected economist Jim O’Neil, who coined the term “BRIC”. In his article Jim O’Neil speculates about the future of the BRICS countries and the institution as a whole.
The publication addresses important issues of the global agenda, the priorities of BRICS and the Indian Presidency, the policies and competitive advantages of the participants, as well as BRICS institutionalization, enhancing efficiency and accountability of the forum.
The article is devoted to the study of the authoritarianism prevalent in the mass consciousness of Russians. The article describes a new approach to the consideration of the authoritarian syndrome as the effects of the cultural trauma as a result of political and socio-cultural transformation of society. The article shows the dynamics of the symptoms of the authoritarianism, which appear in the mass consciousness of Russians from 1993 to 2011. This paper proposes a package of measures aimed at reducing the level of the authoritarianism in Russian society.
This work looks at a model of spatial election competition with two candidates who can spend effort in order to increase their popularity through advertisement. It is shown that under certain condition the political programs of the candidates will be different. The work derives the comparative statics of equilibrium policy platform and campaign spending with respect the distribution of voter policy preferences and the proportionality of the electoral system. In particular, it is whown that the equilibrium does not exist if the policy preferences are distributed over too narrow an interval.
The article examines "regulatory requirements" as a subject of state control over business in Russia. The author deliberately does not use the term "the rule of law". The article states that a set of requirements for business is wider than the legislative regulation.
First, the article analyzes the regulatory nature of the requirements, especially in the technical field. The requirements are considered in relation to the rule of law. The article explores approaches to the definition of regulatory requirements in Russian legal science. The author analyzes legislation definitions for a set of requirements for business. The author concludes that regulatory requirements are not always identical to the rule of law. Regulatory requirements are a set of obligatory requirements for entrepreneurs’ economic activity. Validation failure leads to negative consequences.
Second, the article analyzes the problems of the regulatory requirements in practice. Lack of information about the requirements, their irrelevance and inconsistency are problems of the regulatory requirements in Russia.
Many requirements regulating economic activity are not compatible with the current development level of science and technology. The problems are analyzed on the basis of the Russian judicial practice and annual monitoring reports by Higher School of Economics.
Finally, the author provides an approach to the possible solution of the regulatory requirements’ problem. The author proposes to create a nationwide Internet portal about regulatory requirements. The portal should contain full information about all regulatory requirements. The author recommends extending moratorium on the use of the requirements adopted by the bodies and organizations of the former USSR government.