essays by Christopher Granville, Philip Hanson and Alena Ledeneva,
edited by Katinka Barysch, January 2012
Russia´s leadership regularly promises to modernise the economy, fight corruption and strengthen the rule of law. The CER has asked three eminent Russia experts what, if anything, has been achieved and what needs to be done. Philip Hanson explains why top-down industrial projects of the kind championed by Vladimir Putin will not help Russia onto a sustainable growth path. Alena Ledeneva argues that informal networks and cronyism are at least as important for understanding Putin´s Russia as formal hierarchies. Yet they are a lot harder to change. Christopher Granville highlights a crucial positive trend in Russia´s otherwise difficult business environment: commercial courts are becoming more independent, reliable and transparent.
Philip Hanson is an associate fellow at Chatham House. Alena Ledeneva is professor at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies. Christopher Granville is managing director at Trusted Sources.
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CER
