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The Dynamics of Federalism in Russia

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The Dynamics of Federalism in Russia ÅA Peter Söderlund Peter Söderlund: The Dynamics of Federalism in Russia Federalism in The Dynamics of Söderlund: Peter The Dynamics of Federalism In an ideal federal state, the constitutional division of powers and responsibilities empowers regionally based governmental in Russia institutions and actors. Subnational governments should, in that case, have the ability to act as institutional veto players who are in position to counterbalance and resist the power and influence A Study of Formal and Informal Power of the federal government. To what extent have the regional chief Resources of the Regional Chief Executives executives had the ability to constrain the central government in in Russian Centre-Region Relations post-communist Russia? What are the sources of the formal and informal powers of the regional chief executives in Russian centre- region relations? First, this dissertation examines the formal powers of the Russian regional chief executives at different stages between 1991 and 2005. Second, the dissertation goes on to explore which political resources have been associated with increased levels of bargaining power of individual regional chief executives vis-à-vis the federal centre. This is done by examining both the timing of bilateral treaties and agreements in the bilateral power- sharing treaty process 1994–1998 and the political influence of the regional chief executives at the federal level based on expert surveys in 2003. Åbo Akademi University Press ISBN 951-765-306-9 2006 Peter Söderlund Born in 1976 in Kristinestad, Finland Master of Social Sciences 2001 (Åbo Akademi University) Licentiate of Social Sciences 2002 (Åbo Akademi University) PhD student at the Department of Social Sciences at Åbo Akademi University in Vasa 2001–2006 Member of the Finnish graduate school for political science (VAKAVA) 2004–2006 Cover: Tove Ahlbäck Åbo Akademi University Press Biskopsgatan 13, FIN-20500 ÅBO, Finland Tel. int. +358-2-215 3292 Fax int. +358-2-215 4490 E-mail: forlaget@abo.fi http://www.abo.fi/stiftelsen/forlag/ Distribution: Oy Tibo-Trading Ab P.O.Box 33, FIN-21601 PARGAS, Finland Tel. int. +358-2-454 9200 Fax int. +358-2-454 9220 E-mail: [email protected] http://www.tibo.net THE DYNAMICS OF FEDERALISM IN RUSSIA The Dynamics of Federalism in Russia A Study of Formal and Informal Power Resources of the Regional Chief Executives in Russian Centre-Region Relations Peter Söderlund ÅBO 2006 ÅBO AKADEMIS FÖRLAG – ÅBO AKADEMI UNIVERSITY PRESS CIP Cataloguing in Publication Söderlund, Peter The Dynamics of federalism in Russia : a study of formal and informal power resources of the regional chief executives in Russian centre-region relations / Peter Söderlund. – Åbo : Åbo Akademis förlag, 2006. Diss.: Åbo Akademi. – Summary ISBN 951-765-306-9 ISBN 951-765-306-9 ISBN 951-765-307-7 (digital) Oy Arkmedia Ab Vasa 2006 Förord Hösten 1998 kunde jag inte i min vildaste fantasi tro att ett intresse för Rysslands federala politiska utveckling skulle komma att spela en så central del av mitt liv de följande åren. Jag var då en vilsen studerande som inte hade en aning om vad ämnet för en mycket nära förestående proseminarieuppsats skulle vara. Några aspirationer på att bli forskare fanns heller inte. Ödet ville annat. Ett kapitel om separatism i ryska regioner i Stefan Hedlunds bok Hur många Ryssland efter Sovjetunionen? blev inkörsporten till ett ämne som fascinerat och upptagit så mycket av min tid sedan dess. Nu är det så småningom dags att sätta punkt för en period som storligen berikat mitt liv. Utan att överdriva så har mina mer än fyra år som doktorand vid Samhällsvetenskapliga institutionen vid Åbo Akademi i Vasa varit mycket angenäma (även om stunder av frustration och vanmakt naturligtvis förekommit). Ett tecken på att man alldeles snart når målsnöret, att doktorsdisputationen är nära förestående, är att man sätter sig ned vid sin mest trogna kompanjon, persondatorn, för att författa ett förord. Fördelen med detta är att man bereds tillfälle att minnas och tacka personer som på olika sätt bidragit med de pussebitar som varit betydelsefulla under den process som föregått förfärdigandet av en akademisk avhandling. Första och största tacket önskar jag rikta till min handledare, docent Steve Lindberg, som först av en lycklig händelse guidade in mig på Ryssland och senare under studietiden sporrade mig till att inleda forskarstudier. Därefter har han på ett lovvärt sätt bistått mig under min doktorandtid. Steve har troget läst igenom och kommenterat mina kapitel och papers och åtskilliga är de gånger han har plitat ihop välvilliga rekommendationer som undertecknad varit i behov av i samband med ansökningar om forskarstipendier och resebidrag. Tack Steve! En annan stödperson, vars support jag kunnat räkna med under doktorandprocessen, har varit institutionsföreståndaren professor Göran Djupsund. Tack också till övriga trevliga kollegor vid institutionen i Vasa som inramat forskartillvaron med guldkant och garanterat att doktorandtiden har varit långt ifrån ensam och kärv. Institutionens kafferum med dess ”kaffekvarnar” och ”pratkvarnar” har varit en avkopplande oas. Och vad skulle lunchrasten ha varit utan vår dyrkade espressokokare... Jag tillhör en viss krets som gärna använder ett tillfälle som detta till att minnas de givande forskarseminarier (inbegripande såväl akademiska seminarier som balkongseminarier) som vi hade fördelen att bevista 2002 i Antalya, Turkiet. Till saken hör att vid det tillfället medverkade de allra flesta kollegor jag haft ett närmare utbyte med under doktorandtiden. Hit hör, förutom ovannämnda Lindberg och Djupsund, PD Tom Carlson, PL Jim Eriksson, PM Camilla Nordberg, PD Mikael Nygård, PL Ari Nykvist och PD Axel Rappe. PL Kim Strandberg var inte med vid nämnda tillfälle, men han är en annan kollega som här bör ihågkommas. Därutöver vill jag nämna vår kanslist Thea Helsing som kommit med en hjälpande hand i ett otal ärenden i det dagliga livet på vår institution. Professorer, forskare och doktorander vid Åbo Akademi, Helsingfors Universitet och Mitthögskolan som deltagit i de finlandssvenska doktorandseminarier åren 2001–2005 är vidare värda särskild aktning. Våra seminarier i Vasa, Åbo, Kasnäs och Helsingfors har utgjort nyttiga och trevliga tillställningar som fört samman folk från olika orter och institutioner under några hektiska dagar varje år. Förhandsgranskarna professor emeritus Dag Anckar (Åbo Akademi) och docent Anders Uhlin (Lunds universitet) som tog sig tid att läsa mitt manuskript och levera vasitt utlåtande är också värda stor uppskattning. Alla är inte förunnade att erhålla mycket sakliga utlåtanden med konstruktiva tankar och förbättringsförslag. Ekonomiskt stöd från en rad bidragsgivare har beviljats och mottagits med stor uppskattning under alla dessa år: den nationella forskarskolan VAKAVA, Stiftelsens för Åbo Akademi forskningsinstitut, Rektor för ÅA, Svenska Kulturfonden, Otto A. Malms fond, Werner von Frenckels fond och Svensk-Österbottniska samfundet. Slutligen vill jag tacka familj, vänner och bekanta som utgjort en balans gentemot det akademiska livet. Särskilt vill jag skänka en varm tanke till min sambo Pernilla som tappert delat sitt liv med en person vars tankar och uppmärksamhet i tid och otid tyvärr varit någon annanstans. Vår son Liam finns även i mina tankar, även om han ännu inte på många år kommer att förstå vad pappa egentligen sysslade med under hans första levnadsmånader. Vasa den 12 december 2005 Författaren Contents Tables...........................................................................................................................................iv Figures...........................................................................................................................................v 1. GENERAL FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYSIS ........................................................... 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................1 1.2 FEDERALISM AND VETO PLAYERS .............................................................................2 1.2.1 Federal Division of Power................................................................................2 1.2.2 Federalism as Structure .....................................................................................5 1.2.3 Federalism as Process........................................................................................6 1.2.4 Subnational Chief Executives as Institutional Veto Players .......................8 1.2.5 Collective and Individual Veto Players........................................................ 11 1.3 INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS ....................................................................... 13 1.3.1 Intergovernmental Coordination.................................................................. 14 1.3.2 Intergovernmental Relations in Presidential and Parliamentary Systems ...................................................... 15 1.3.3 Unilateralism, Bilateralism and Multilateralism.......................................... 16 1.3.4 Arenas of Intergovernmental Relations ...................................................... 17 1.3.5 Competition and Interdependence .............................................................. 18 1.4 FEDERAL ASYMMETRY AND BARGAINING POWER.............................................. 19 1.4.1 Political Resources as the Basis for Power ................................................. 21 1.4.2 Structural and Behavioural Bargaining Power...........................................
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