Russia between modernization and stability

Russia’s political stability depends on predictable and agreed-upon, but unwritten rules on how resources are distributed between the elites. This distribution system is the glue holding the ruling coalition together, preventing destructive 1990s-style infighting between the ‘clans’. However, it also prevents substantial modernization and stifles economic growth.

There is widespread agreement that something must be done, but the elites cannot agree on what and how. Not only is there no unifying vision of the future – powerful actors cannot even reach consensus on seeming technicalities, such as the distribution of radio frequencies.

At this conference, we brought together international experts to discuss the implications of this power struggle as well as the conditions to reform the system.

The conference summed up the three-year, international research project RUSECOPOL (Russia’s Politicized Economy, Elite Dynamics, and the Domestic-Foreign Policy Nexus), which is led by the Institute for Defence Studies at the Norwegian Defence University College.

The RUSECOPOL project is funded by the Research Council of Norway under the NORRUSS Pluss call (grant no. 288428).