Peregoudov Sergei

Ethno-confessional Relations in Russia as Factor of Political Risk

The article analyzes peculiarities of ethno-confessional relations in modern Russia, uncovers reasons for the spread of Russian as well as non-Russian nationalism in the country and political risks associated with it. Having stated the presence of potentially dangerous link between the situation in the sphere of inter-ethnical and inter-confessional relations at the city and republic level, S.Peregudov comes to the conclusion that none of the solutions to the existing ethno-confessional controversies in Russia that are offered today will lead to a desired outcome, but they can exacerbate the situation. According to his conclusion, elaboration of a functioning strategy of inter-ethnic agreement given today’s political reality is possible only within the framework of a constructive dialogue between the champions of the idea of the renewed Russian great power statehood and proponents of different models of multiculturalism.

DOI: 10.30570/2078-5089-2011-63-4-19-34

Business and Bureaucracy in Russia – Dynamics of Interaction.

The author analyses the principles and norms of interaction between the executive power and business community. S. Peregudov puts in doubt the widely common thesis about the emerging corporate state in Russia. In his opinion bureaucracy and big business separately and together are not the instances where the most important national decisions are worked out. Not being the arbiter of the fate in the direct meaning corporate bureaucracy nevertheless largely influences the whole system of social relation in Russia and in many ways determines its rules of the game. The author believes that its influence is mainly expressed in the depolitization of relations between the society and the state, blocking of the society-power interaction channels and growingly evident alienation of ordinary citizens both from business and the power.

DOI: 10.30570/2078-5089-2007-44-1-52-64

"A Corporate Coup" and the Future of the Democracy

The article analyses the impact of the intercompany relations of the corporate sector on the state of democracy in the countries of the West and in Russia. Two models of these relations are analyzed – "the shareholders’ democracy" model and the "stakeholders' democracy" model. The first model stimulates the enhancement of a purely electoral model of political democracy based on episodical participation of the masses in political process, while the second model promotes the development in the direction of the "shareholders' society". The author gives preference to the second model but believes that the modern state of the corporate sector does not give enough reason for an indubitable conclusion about the direction of the development of intercompany relations. However, analysing the situation in one of the most "advanced" Russian corporations, "the LUKOIL" company, one can predict good chances for the development of these or those forms of the "stakeholders' democracy" in Russia.

DOI: 10.30570/2078-5089-1999-13-3-99-104

Pages: 99-104

New Corporatism: Oligarchic or Democratic?

The article considers specific historic, political and socio-economic background preconditions of specific models (the Soviet and the Russian ones) of corporatism – first “bureaucratic” and then “oligarchic”. Analysing the main traits of the latter the author singles out the following forms of interaction of the state and the financial oligarchy: pawn privatisation, investment competitions, the responsible banks system, special aim programmes and projects etc. The main goal of the participants of this interaction is to derive a so-called political rent, the search of which is most negatively reflected on the investment process. According to the author, it is the miserable state of Russian industry, that makes the investments (especially the short-term investments) absolutely disadvantageous or even leads to direct loses that has predetermined the misbalance in the real positions of both private and state financial institutions. Another factor is the weakness of the state that is unable to stimulate the investments into industry and has practically concentrated its effort on promoting the speculative activity of the banks. But the situation is not absolutely hopeless: there is a number of facts showing that both the «oligarchs» and the state have reconsidered the priorities and have turned to a constructive co-operation for the benefit of the national economy.

DOI: 10.30570/2078-5089-1998-8-2-102-128

Pages: 102-128