Vladimir Gelman

Professor of political science at the European University in St. Petersburg, Russia. He is the author of 17 books and more than 120 articles on Russian and post Soviet politics.

Russia’s crony capitalism: the swing of the pendulum

Cronyism has always played a significant part in Russian political and economic life, so the arrival on the scene 20 years ago of crony capitalism was no surprise. It has been through various stages over that period, ending up with the ‘predatory state’ that exists in Russia today. Vladimir Gelman

By Vladimir Gelman

/ 14 Nov 2011

Russia's Communists: the paper tigers of the opposition

Twenty years after the fall of the Soviet Union, the Russian Communist Party is enjoying a mini-revival as a channel for popular discontent with the government. But its leadership is too rooted in the past and concerned with retaining control of the party to exploit this advantage, says Vladimir G

By Vladimir Gelman

/ 7 Nov 2011

The great political gamble

A recent article in the Financial Times (reprinted by the Russian newspaper Vedomosti) paints a hypothetical picture of the world in 2012. Sarah Palin has been elected US president, Nicolas

By Vladimir Gelman

/ 2 Mar 2009

Russia’s crisis: the political options

It is by no means a proven fact that economic crises weaken authoritarian regimes. Statistical analyses have shown that, however deep or prolonged these crises may be, the regime'

By Vladimir Gelman

/ 28 Dec 2008