Post-Soviet Authoritarianism: The Influence of Russia in Its "Near Abroad"

Abstract

How, to what extent, and why have the forms of political authority in the non-Baltic post-Soviet states changed since 1991? What impact has Russia had on such changes? Drawing on Freedom House and Polity IV data, this article considers the extent and direction of changes in the democratic and authoritarian elements of the Russian and other post-Soviet polities in recent years, some of the linkages through which Russia may exercise leverage vis-à-vis the other post-Soviet states, and the extent to which exercising that leverage may have influenced the forms of political authority—specifically, the extent of democratization—in the other non-Baltic, post-Soviet states.