Presidents, Oligarchs and Bureaucrats: Forms of Rule in the Post-Soviet Space

In the past decade the "transition paradigm" which assumed a shift from authoritarianism to democracy on the territory of the post-Soviet space and elsewhere, has been subjected to serious and justified criticism. The complex political and societal developments in the post-Soviet countries have made it clear that a transition to democracy is far from given. Numerous attempts have therefore been made to devise new categories or modify existing ones in order to account for the diversity of post-Soviet regimes.Framing the debate using case studies from the entire post-soviet region, an international line up of contributors present a much needed original and innovative contribution to the character of post-Soviet regimes and political transitions. The book begins by highlighting the benefits and difficulties of applying the concept of hybrid regimes, competitive authoritarianism and neopatrimonialism to countries across the post-soviet space. Specific regimes types found in each country are then discussed in greater detail in order to identify how in each case the relationship between state and society is organized, how decision-making processes function, what role do formal and informal institutions and practices play in these processes and on what does the leadership of the country base its legitimacy.The combination of basic theoretical concepts and detailed empirical analysis in Presidents, Oligarchs and Bureaucrats is set to advance the theoretical debate on regime character and transition paths.