Professor Vladimir Gel’man teaches at the European University in St. Petersburg and the University of Helsinki. Prof. Gel’man has at least 162 publications associated with his name, including peer-reviewed articles in journals like Europe-Asia Studies, Post-Soviet Affairs, International Political Science Review, and others. He is also the author of several books, including Authoritarian Russia: Analyzing Post-Soviet Regime Changes, Authoritarian Modernization in Russia: Ideas, Institutions, and Policies, and The Politics of Bad Governance in Contemporary Russia.
In this episode, we primarily discuss his latest book, The Politics of Bad Governance in Contemporary Russia. We first distinguish bad governance from good governance and Prof. Gel’man explains why we (wrongly) tend to think of Russia as ungovernable. We look at why Putin continues his kleptocratic ambitions despite clear signs of declining power. We then draw parallels and differences between Yeltsin and Putin; Ukraine and Russia; and analyze if figures like Navalny might replace the decaying stage at the Kremlin. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.
Note: This episode was originally published in February 2023, but because of technological hurdles, I have had to re-upload some episodes.
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