Cover Osteuropa 10/2005

In Osteuropa 10/2005

Democracy and the Informal Exertion of Influence
Economic Actors in Russia and Ukraine

Heiko Pleines


Deutsche Fassung

Abstract

This contribution analyses and compares the forms and consequences of the informal influence exerted on Russian and Ukrainian politics by economic actors. The relevant economic actors and their strategies for pursuing their interests are depicted for the presidencies of Boris Yel’tsin, Vladimir Putin, Leonid Kuchma and Viktor Yushchenko. This is followed by a discussion of the consequences that this has for the economic and political development of these two countries. Finally, the author examines whether the results depend on cultural factors and whether they are relevant for the longer term.

(Osteuropa 10/2005, pp. 99–108)