Stephen Fortescue - Böcker

The Russian budget process has received little detailed attention in academic literature. Here various key aspects of the formation of the federal budget, largely since Vladimir Putin began his third presidential term in 2012, are examined. It is primarily the writing of the expenditure side of the budget which is described, that is, how it is decided how much money is spent on what. While ample information is provided on budgetary outcomes, the focus is on the process: the issues faced by budget makers, the actors and institutions involved, and the formal and informal procedures that lead to outcomes. It is not the task of the volume to provide an analysis of the wisdom or effectiveness of particular budget allocations; its goal is to provide some judgement on the effectiveness of the process. Chapters are offered on the budgetary process as it relates to the two main claimants on federal budget funding, the social and defence sectors. Three chapters then examine the major locations of budgetary policy-making: the executive (at presidential and cabinet of ministers levels), the Duma, and the expert community.This book was originally published as a special issue of Post-Communist Economies.

Science Policy in the Soviet Union (1990) examines the major institutional and behavioural aspects influencing scientific research in the USSR. The book adopts the widespread view that Soviet science performs well below capacity and then looks at the institutions and management in the light of this assumption. Low morale and a lack of moral responsibility within the scientific community are highlighted as factors in the poor performance of Soviet science, these being compounded by the problems of centralization and the lack of responsiveness to new demands, technologies and ideas. The author sees de-centralisation as a potential solution, concluding with a commentary on Gorbachev, the obstacles he faced and his awareness of the need for change in the scientific sphere.

Science Policy in the Soviet Union (1990) examines the major institutional and behavioural aspects influencing scientific research in the USSR. The book adopts the widespread view that Soviet science performs well below capacity and then looks at the institutions and management in the light of this assumption. Low morale and a lack of moral responsibility within the scientific community are highlighted as factors in the poor performance of Soviet science, these being compounded by the problems of centralization and the lack of responsiveness to new demands, technologies and ideas. The author sees de-centralisation as a potential solution, concluding with a commentary on Gorbachev, the obstacles he faced and his awareness of the need for change in the scientific sphere.

The Russian budget process has received little detailed attention in academic literature. Here various key aspects of the formation of the federal budget, largely since Vladimir Putin began his third presidential term in 2012, are examined. It is primarily the writing of the expenditure side of the budget which is described, that is, how it is decided how much money is spent on what. While ample information is provided on budgetary outcomes, the focus is on the process: the issues faced by budget makers, the actors and institutions involved, and the formal and informal procedures that lead to outcomes. It is not the task of the volume to provide an analysis of the wisdom or effectiveness of particular budget allocations; its goal is to provide some judgement on the effectiveness of the process. Chapters are offered on the budgetary process as it relates to the two main claimants on federal budget funding, the social and defence sectors. Three chapters then examine the major locations of budgetary policy-making: the executive (at presidential and cabinet of ministers levels), the Duma, and the expert community.This book was originally published as a special issue of Post-Communist Economies.

As Russia aggressively tries to regain the status of a ‘Great Power’, whether it has the economic capacity to do so has become a matter of enormous topical importance, not just for those with a long-standing professional interest in the Russian economy, but also for a wider range of economists, political scientists, and foreign-policy specialists who need to understand the workings of this major—if somewhat unusual—state. Moreover, to determine if Russia can meet and sustain its apparent ambitions requires a knowledge not just of its current economic circumstances, but also of its economic past. What, if any, is the legacy of the Soviet period? How did Russia approach the transition from central planning to a market-type economy (a question which is relevant not just to our understanding of Russia itself, but also of transitional, emerging, and developing countries more generally)? And, leaving aside its Great Power ambitions, does the contemporary Russian economy possess the resources, structures, and policies to enable it to achieve and sustain even a viable society?As serious research on and around the Russian economy continues to blossom, this new title from Routledge’s Critical Concepts in Economics series addresses these and other questions. In four volumes, the collection provides a much-needed compendium of foundational and the very best cutting-edge scholarship. It brings together the most informative and influential major works on the Soviet economy, Russia’s early post-Soviet transition experiences, and its continuing economic successes and failures.The Russian Economy is fully indexed and has a comprehensive introduction, newly written by the editor, which places the collected material in its historical and intellectual context. It is an essential work of reference and is destined to be valued by scholars, students, and policymakers as a vital one-stop research and pedagogic resource.