The Russian Bureaucratic Phenomenon

Ryavec, Karl W.

ISBN 10: 0847695034 ISBN 13: 9780847695034

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2005

Synopsis

This unique study provides an original, nitty-gritty view of the true nature and operation of Russia's state bureaucracy from the imperial period to the present, including the Putin presidency. The only book-length exploration of the problems and deficiencies of Russian bureaucracy since tsarist times, this detailed work sheds important new light on Russian public administration, an often-overlooked but key barrier to Russian normalization and democratization.

About this title

About the Author:

Karl Ryavec is emeritus professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Review:

Years of study, travel, and practical experience in U.S. government dealings with Russian arms control admirably equip Karl Ryavec to undertake the first truly comprehensive examination of continuities in Tsarist and Soviet bureaucracy. The resulting book will be indispensable both as a guide and a caution for those dealing with Russian officialdom. (John Armstrong, professor emeritus at University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Karl Ryavec traces in a richly documented and lively narrative how Russia's powerful, self-interested, and corrupt bureaucracy has persisted and flourished in Tsarist, Soviet, and post-Soviet Russia. (Peter Juviler, Columbia University)

As Ryavec vividly conveys . . . the Russian state is its bureaucracy with all of its flaws and inadequacies. As such, Russia's bureaucracy warrants the close attention Ryavec gives it. . . . An evocative but disheartening portrayal of the state of Russia. . . . Recommended. (CHOICE)

Ryavec succeeds in providing a comprehensive and incisive analysis of this key to understanding Russian social life....Like so much else in contemporary Russian society, the slow but inexorable process of generational change and the development of civil society together offer up the best chances for a more normal Russian bureaucracy. In his significant contribution to our understanding of this bedrock Russian phenomenon, Ryavec more than anyone else has provided for us the signposts for any such change. (Slavic Review)

The first book on the Russian bureaucracy to range so widely and with such ambition across the country's recent history. Ryavec includes wonderfully illustrative vignettes and convincing assessments of bureaucratic behavior. (Eugene Huskey, Stetson University)

About this edition

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0847695034
• ISBN 13: 9780847695034
• Binding: Textbook Binding
• Number of pages: 308