Without a Map: Political Tactics and Economic Reform in Russia

Book Description

Recent commentators on Russia's economic reforms have almost uniformly declared them a disappointing and avoidable -- failure. In this book, two American scholars take a new and more balanced look at the country's attempts to build capitalism on the ruins of Soviet central planning. They show how and why the Russian reforms achieved remarkable breakthroughs in some areas but came undone in others. Unlike Eastern European countries such as Poland or the Czech Republic, to which it is often compared, Russia is a federal, ethnically diverse, industrial giant with an economy heavily oriented toward raw materials extraction. The political obstacles it faced in designing reforms were incomparably greater.

Shleifer and Treisman tell how Russia's leaders, navigating in uncharted economic terrain, managed to find a path around some of these obstacles. In successful episodes, central reformers devised a strategy to win over some key opponents, while dividing and marginalizing others. Such political tactics made possible the rapid privatization of 14,000 state enterprises in 1992-1994 and the defeat of inflation in 1995. But failure to outmaneuver the new oligarchs and regional governors after 1996 undermined reformers' attempts to collect taxes and clean up the bureaucracy that has stifled business growth.

Renewing a strain of analysis that runs from Machiavelli to Hirschman, the authors reach conclusions about political strategies that have important implications for other reformers. They draw on their extensive knowledge of the country and recent experience as advisors to Russian policymakers. Written in an accessible style, the book should appeal to economists, political scientists, policymakers, businesspeople, and all those interested in Russian politics or economics.

Customer Reviews:

Easy to read, good context, but somewhast repetitive.......2005-03-12

This book is a good source on Russian economic reform in the early to mid 1990's. Great for anyone with an interest in Russia's transition from socialism to capitalism. My only quarrel with the book is that it seems to be a bit repetitive. Other then that, great book.

Excellent Critique of Economic Reform In Russia, 1992-98.......2005-02-06

Without A Map, by Harvard economist Andrei Schleifer and UCLA political scientist Daniel Treisman, describes the successes and failures encountered by Russia's economic reformers in the years 1992-98. The three primary reform efforts, privatization, controlling inflation, and reforming the tax system, are presented individually. For each of these topics, the authors approach is to, first, describe the situation, the government's actions, and the results, second, present summaries of various explanations of these situations, actions, and results, and, finally, provide their own interpretation of the political tactics and economic results. Each of these areas of reform required approaches that were both economically appropriate (contributed to solving the problem) and politically acceptable (would be enacted by the legislature, carried out by the government, and not provoke major popular unrest). None of the reforms had a powerful constituency and most did have powerful opponents in the form of the various stakeholders in the status quo. In the cases where the reformers were successful they were able to split the opposition stakeholders by co-opting some (by offering them an alternative to their existing stake) and expropriating others (by transferring or abolishing their stake).

In the case of privatization in 1992, the stakeholders were (1) the industrial ministries (which had controlled their respective industries under the Former Soviet Union), (2) the managers, (3) the workers, and (4) the regional and local governments. Several formulas for issuing vouchers that could be converted to shares were proposed. The winning solution was to co-opt the managers and workers by allocating them 51% share to be owned individually rather than collectively. This approach resulted in a higher concentration of initial ownership than might have been desirable, but this compromise was probably essential achieving any meaningful degree of privatization.

In the case of controlling inflation in 1995-6, the key stakeholders were (1) the central bank and commercial banks and (2) the state subsidized industries (e.g., agriculture and defense). In a bizarre twist on western banking practices, Russian banks in these years paid their depositors interest rates lower than the inflation rate and invested the funds in commodities and currencies which appreciated relative to the ruble, effectively selling the currency short. The reformers co-opted the banks by creating a market for government securities with the banks as the primary dealers. The banks were transformed from short sellers of the ruble to stakeholders in the ruble by virtue of their holding of government securities. In addition, the 1996 "loans-for-shares" deals between the government and the banks further co-opted the banks. Under this program, the government obtained loans from the banks that rather obviously exceed the government's ability to repay. The loans were secured by shares in major oil and mining companies which became the property of the banks when the government failed to repay the loans. Although this tactic appears rather unsavory, it was successful in breaking the pattern of inflation and in further transferring productive assets out of the state ownership. However, it also created the class of oligarchs who became a major stakeholder in the third reform effort.

The last area of reform was the attempt to reform government finance and the tax system. Here, the stakeholders were (1) the large enterprises (who paid the taxes), (2) the regional governments, (3) the local governments, and (4) the State Tax Service (STS) which collected taxes on behalf of the federal and regional governments. This is the area where the reformers failed, due primarily to the complex set of obstacles presented by the existing tax structure. Briefly, that tax structure was characterized by (1) overlapping tax bases - federal and regional taxes collected in competition on the same base, (2) tax revenue sharing - selective federal remittances of tax revenues to regions which prompted the regions to hide their revenues and exaggerate their poverty, (3) a tax service charged with serving two masters - the STS collected taxes for both the federal and regional governments, resulting in a fundamental conflict of interest, and (4) combined tax rates so high that they drove small enterprises into the underground economy. The reformers were unable to co-opt or expropriate the stakes of any of these stakeholders.

What is amazing about the Russian reformers (especially, Yegor Gaidar, Anatoly Chubias, and Boris Fyodorov) is not that they were not entirely successful but that they were as successful as they were in light of the overwhelming obstacles.

Recommendation for this book:.......2000-04-29

Without a Map is a good place to start learning about Russian economic reform in the 1990's. It is concise and thorough, and covers a lot of ground. As a result, it tends to be somewhat general, when one might be interested in specific details of reforms, but it's a very solid overview. It is not a book for just anyone, but will fascinate anybody who has an interest in the Russian economy or in economics in general. It is a perfect complement to Privatizing Russia, also co-authored by Schleifer.

A Perceptive Analysis.......2000-03-19

In a very readable book the authors provide an excellent account of fiscal federalism in Russia. They talk about the stagnation the Russian economy faces and provide a very valid hypothesis for its cause in Russia's taxation system - what many others have previously given scant attention to. This book will appeal to economists, political scientists, and anyone else interested in Russia today.

Without a Map -- Political Tactics and Economic Reform in Russia.(Review) (book review): An article from: Comparative Economic Studies

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Without a Map -- Political Tactics and Economic Reform in Russia.(Review) (book review): An article from: Comparative Economic Studies
Jozef M. van Brabant
Manufacturer: Association for Comparative Economic Studies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0008J0M2O
Release Date: 2005-07-28

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This digital document is an article from Comparative Economic Studies, published by Association for Comparative Economic Studies on June 22, 2000. The length of the article is 1583 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Without a Map -- Political Tactics and Economic Reform in Russia.(Review) (book review)
Author: Jozef M. van Brabant
Publication: Comparative Economic Studies (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 2000
Publisher: Association for Comparative Economic Studies
Volume: 42 Issue: 2 Page: 109

Article Type: Book Review

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Without a Map.(Review) (book review): An article from: Finance & Development

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Without a Map.(Review) (book review): An article from: Finance & Development
Itzhak Goldberg , and Lev Freinkman
Manufacturer: International Monetary Fund
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Finance & Development, published by International Monetary Fund on September 1, 2000. The length of the article is 828 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Without a Map.(Review) (book review)
Author: Itzhak Goldberg
Publication: Finance & Development (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2000
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Volume: 37 Issue: 3 Page: 60

Article Type: Book Review

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Without a Map: Political Tactics and Economic Reform in Russia

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Without a Map: Political Tactics and Economic Reform in Russia
Andrei (Author) Treisman, Daniel S. (Joint Author) Shleifer
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OQBDQ0

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Without a Map: Political Tactics and Economic Reform in Russia
Daniel S. Treisman Andrei Shleifer
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OQOLXW

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Turn Your Business Around!/Hands-On Strategies for Long-Term Survival (Prentice-Hall Career & Personal Development)
Suzanne Caplan
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Strategy & Competition | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0133020681

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Turn Your Business Around! : Hands-On Strategies for Long-Term Survival
Suzanne Caplan
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OI5QRU

Book Description

The Insects takes a detailed look at how insects function as animals. This textbook brings together basic anatomy and physiology and relates them to behavior. Coverage emphasizes the roles of different functional systems in the context of the whole organism using studies of many different species as examples. Unlike other texts, The Insects does not dwell on classification, opting instead to take an in-depth look at physiology, providing any biologist with a better basic understanding of how insects work. A long-awaited update of a well established standard text and respected reference work for students and researchers in zoology, entomology and physiology, this fourth edition has been rewritten throughout, while retaining the successful structure of the earlier editions. Illustrations have been augmented with electron micrographs, and expanded reference sections will make this volume a valuable addition to all biologists' bookshelves.

Customer Reviews:

A solid text.......2001-07-10

This is a solid text on the structure and physiology of insects. It has been used in two of my graduate level entomology classes, and none of the instructors have said "I wish Chapman had done ... differently".

Good text for advanced students.......2000-05-04

Chapman's book is a comprehensive and well-written entomology text. Not only does he cover all the basic topics in entomology, he does so in depth. This text may be too detailed and overwhelming for begining entomology students but is great for more advanced students. The one problem I have with this book is that Chapman often uses jargon without defining or explaining it, leaving the reader to look it up or remain confused.

Illinois Physiology Class Recommends Chapman's Text.......2000-05-01

The following comments were written by graduate and undergraduate members of an advanced class in insect physiology taught Spring Semester 2000.

Chapman's book is interesting and covers a variety of topics. It is interesting for learning about how much insects differ between orders. Chapman gives many examples of different phenomena in insects. As a student, though, all the examples and different phenomena make studying from the book difficult and overwhelming. It is useful as a reference, a book to read to clarify topics discussed in lecture. But it is very specific with the examples.

Chapman's textbook is comprehensive. It covers all aspects of insect physiology. It has full and updated literature citations for each chapter, which is very helpful for further reading. The language is simple and precise. But it is a little bit conservative and has slight coverage of some hot topics. The coverage favors insect structure and morphology.

For me as a student the Chapman text was very helpful, because it is clearly structured and it covers nearly all important fields of insect physiology and structure. The new edition is very up-to-date and gives good examples from recent investigations. It is a bit too focused on research conducted in the US, but this probably reflects the fact that most of the important research is conducted there. The illustrations are very clear and helpful.

I used this textbook in an advanced insect physiology class. To be perfectly honest, this book was a minor part of the class for me. I skimmed through it, used it for references, and as a sort of entomology handbook. From my perspective, it was a very complete source of information. At times it was a bit heavy on detail, but the information I needed was all there and clearly stated.

This book is not one that is useful to read from front to back. It is an excellent reference book that should be owned by all entomologists. Three or more specific examples are given for each topic instead of a generic example for all insects. This is useful because it gives you the range of known physiology of insects that can be compared to the reader's "insect of choice."

Chapman gives all the details an entomologist needs to know about insects. It may be a bit confusing due to the vast number of insects, but it is a good resource to own and keep. Chapman is very thorough.

One of the strengths of Chapman's new edition of Insects, Structure and Function is the wealth of examples. Every section of the book has examples from just about all of the orders of insects, although grasshoppers seem to rule disproportionately. A weakness with all of these wonderful examples is the cumbersome way Chapman places a list of them at the beginning of a section. He intends them to be as authoritative fleet of representatives who give some scale and scope to the subject being presented. They unfortunately end up as a heavy flotilla that diverts the reader's attention from the information sought. There are places in the book where subjects that are usually treated together or that work as a whole system are poorly integrated. Digestion and nutrition are so separately treated (they are in different chapters) that the reader finds herself having to cross reference from section to section to make cogent sense of what nutrients have to do with digestion. Strangely, when Chapman presents the great variety of insect form and function one has a sense of cacophony. Instead of giving us a unity, or even the illusion of unity, of how form and function interact we are presented with vignettes of research. But these vignettes do not provide us with the pretty and easy to get to views that we find on the Internet. We find ourselves lost somewhere in a tome that is more intent on directing our attention to variation than to presenting us with direct descriptions. But then again, how do you argue with the only author in English who has been brave enough to try to make a synthetic analysis of the most diverse group of animals on earth?

AN ESSENTIAL BOOK !!!!!!!!!.......1999-02-05

If you have Wiggleswort's Insect Physilology, Borror's Introduction to Entonology and Chapman's Insects Structure and Function, you have the best basic Entomology sources. Yes, is a little expensive but, It is not the life expensive too?. Buy it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Fly Neuromuscular Junction: Structure and Function, Volume 75: Second Edition (International Review of Neurobiology) (International Review of Neurobiology)

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The Fly Neuromuscular Junction: Structure and Function, Volume 75: Second Edition (International Review of Neurobiology) (International Review of Neurobiology)

Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0123736137

Book Description

The Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ) has become one of the most powerful model systems to ask key neurobiological questions. This synapse is unparalleled by its accessibility, its simplicity, and the ability to manipulate genes important for synapse development and function. Its synapses have properties shared by many organisms including humans. The vast majority of genes that when mutated cause congenital disorders of the nervous system in humans, are present in the fruit fly genome, and fly models of human disorders are available. Thus, this preparation is a powerful tool to understand the normal function of these genes.
This book reviews outstanding work by recognized leaders in the fields of Drosophila cellular neurogenetics including developmental neurobiology, mechanisms of synaptic function, and experience dependent changes at synapses. The book also includes step-by-step protocols to study the cellular biology of the NMJ, making it a vital resource for researchers beginning their investigations with this system, for those who are training students and postdoctoral fellows in this area, or simply as a general reference material for neuroscientists and neuroscience professors in general.

* Provides a synthesis of the main topics in modern neurogenetics
* Includes step-by-step protocols for the use of the Drosophila NMJ system in neurobiology lab research
* Offers genetic approaches to study synapse development and function
*

Form and Function of Insect Wings: The Evolution of Biological Structures

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Form and Function of Insect Wings: The Evolution of Biological Structures
Dmitry L. Grodnitsky
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0801860032

Book Description

"Insect flight," writes Dmitry Grodnitsky, "is the most diverse kind of animal aerial locomotion." In Form and Function of Insect Wings Grodnitsky offers a comprehensive overview of the functional morphology of insect wings from the viewpoint of general biology and uses these data to help further explain animal morphology.

Grodnitsky evaluates functional issues relating to insect diversification, particularly wing structure and kinematics. He discusses recent data on wing kinematics and structure from the point of view of modern insect flight aerodynamics and general evolutionary morphology. He is most concerned with the question of which features of an organism can be explained by natural selection of given functional variants and which cannot.

Chapter topics include general information on insect flight, vortex aerodynamics, the diversity and evolution of flapping flight, wing morphology, and general evolutionary considerations. Form and Function of Insect Wings will be of interest to evolutionary biologists worldwide, particularly those concerned with morphological questions, and entomologists, especially those interested in how insect wings work. The book also contains a novel insect taxonomy at supraordinal level (by Alexandr P. Rasnitsyn) and throws light on recent developments in contemporary Russian evolutionary theory.

"[Insect wings are] almost uniquely convenient objects for a survey of comparative morphology. The broad diversification of wing shapes and their constructions within insect class provide fruitful soil for analyses and reconstructions of historical trends... In insects, flight probably involves more diverse mechanisms than in any other animal taxon. Although disagreement remains on the way insects manage to stay aloft, certain regularities can clearly be described, thus explaining particular trends in insect evolution." -- from the Preface

Insect Accessory Reproductive Structures: Function, Structure, and Development (Zoophysiology)

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Insect Accessory Reproductive Structures: Function, Structure, and Development (Zoophysiology)
M. S. Kaulenas
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Insect cells: Their structure and function

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Insect cells: Their structure and function
David Spencer Smith
Manufacturer: Oliver & Boyd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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THE INSECTS: STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION.

Manufacturer: American Eslevier Publishing Company,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GS4JVC

The Role of Scent Glands in Pollination: On the Structure and Function of Osmophores

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The Role of Scent Glands in Pollination: On the Structure and Function of Osmophores
Stefan Vogel
Manufacturer: Smithsonian Institution Lib
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 9999962882

Structure and Function of Primary Messengers in Invertebrates: Insect Diuretic and Antidiuretic Peptides (Molecular Comparative Physiology, Vol 12)

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Structure and Function of Primary Messengers in Invertebrates: Insect Diuretic and Antidiuretic Peptides (Molecular Comparative Physiology, Vol 12)

Manufacturer: S Karger Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3805557043

Structure and function: An entry from Thomson Gale's
<i>Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia</i>

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Structure and function: An entry from Thomson Gale's Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia
Reginald F., DSc Chapman
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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ASIN: B000M59P36

Book Description

Gale proudly presents the completely revised and updated version of the acclaimed “Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia” set. Hailed by many as the best reference work on animals ever published, a legacy left to us by famed zoologist and animal lover Bernhard Grzimek, this set is renowned for its scientific reporting and coverage, and serves as a major point of reference for researchers, students, and those hoping to satisfy their curiosity about the animal kingdom. Information can be found on life cycles, predators, food systems, overall ecology and much more. Staying true to the original scientific pedigree, Gale enlisted prominent advisors and contributors from the international scientific community to incorporate recent developments in our knowledge of the animal world.

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Form and Function of Insect Wings : The Evolution of Biological Structures
Dimitry L. Grodnitsky
Manufacturer: Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OLXT8A

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