From Boom to Bust: Hardship, Mobilization & Russia’s Social Contract

Samuel A. Greene

doi:10.1162/DAED_a_00439

From Boom to Bust: Hardship, Mobilization & Russia’s Social Contract

Samuel A. Greene^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Russia Institute

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

305 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This essay revisits the debate about Russia’s “social contract,” arguing that the ability of the Russian system to maintain macro-political stability in the face of significant and prolonged micro-level economic hardship hinges on a peculiarly disengaged relationship between Russian citizens and their state. Russian citizens are seen clearly to understand the failings of the political system and leadership, reinforcing habits of “involution” learned over decades of institutional dysfunction. A review of recent protest movements, indeed, demonstrates that general quiescence coexists with a deep-seated antipathy toward the country’s ruling elite, which lends particular animus to grassroots contention in a variety of settings. The question for Russia’s sociopolitical future, however, remains an old one: can reactive civic mobilization lead to a proactive process of bottom-up agenda setting?.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	113-127
Number of pages	15
Journal	Daedalus
Volume	146
Issue number	2
Early online date	27 Mar 2017
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1162/DAED_a_00439
Publication status	Published - 2017

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From Boom to Bust: Hardship, Mobilization & Russia’s Social Contract

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