Politics for the Few: Élites in Bryansk and Smolensk

Abstract

A French political scientist examines political élites in Russia's depressed, “Red belt” provinces of Bryansk and Smolensk. Research is based on documentary evidence and numerous on-site interviews in the regions. Focus is on the regions' governors and their backgrounds, staffs, interaction with city governments, authority, sources of revenue, and efforts to negotiate special privileges with authorities in Moscow. Analysis also covers the regions' economies, the intertwining of public and private realms, and electoral politics.