Candidate Strategies And Electoral Competition In The Russian Federation: Democracy Without Foundation (cambridge Studies In Comparative Politics)

This book was first published in 2006. In the early 1990s, competitive elections in the Russian Federation signaled the end of the authoritarian political system dominated by a single political party. More than ten years and many elections later, a single party led by Russian President Vladimir Putin threatens to end Russia's democratic experiment. Russia's experience with new elections is not unique but it does challenge existing theories of democratic consolidation by showing that competitive elections cannot guarantee successful democratic consolidation. This book explores the conditions under which electoral competition contributes to democratic development by examining impact of elections on democratic consolidation. The theoretic framework focuses on the construction of infrastructure that transforms competitive elections into mechanisms of democratic development and shows how candidates for national parliamentary office systematically chose electoral strategies that undermined Russia's democratic foundation and created the conditions for a new single party autocracy to emerge. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Series-title......Page 5 Title......Page 7 Copyright......Page 8 Contents......Page 9 1 Elections and Development of Democratic Capacity......Page 11 Why Study Russia?......Page 14 A Strategy for Theory Development: Linking Individual Behavior, Elections, and System-Level Outcomes......Page 16 The Plan of the Book......Page 20 2 One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: Russia's Failed Consolidation in Comparative Context......Page 24 Defining and Measuring Democratic Consolidation in the Postcommunist Context......Page 26 Elections and Democratic Consolidation: Promoting Elite Commitment and Interest Aggregation......Page 30 Structure and Agency: Explaining Different Trajectories of Democratic Development......Page 32 Post-Soviet Versus Postcommunist......Page 33 Economic Explanations......Page 34 International Influences......Page 35 Institutional Explanations: Majoritarian Versus Proportional Structures......Page 36 Strategy and Choice: The Primacy of Actions in Consolidation......Page 37 Testing Theories of Consolidation: Model and Results......Page 38 Interpreting the Results......Page 42 Democratic Deepening: Forging Linkages and Defining Priorities......Page 44 Looking Beyond Political Parties: The Role of Infrastructure......Page 45 Looking Ahead: A Model of Candidates’ Choices......Page 51 3 The Microfoundations of Democratic Responsiveness: Candidate Strategies and Electoral Infrastructure......Page 53 A Research Design for Testing the Micro Model......Page 55 Candidate Strategies as the Dependent Variable......Page 56 Explaining Candidate Decisions: The Independent Variables......Page 58 Electoral Institutions......Page 59 Information and Uncertainty......Page 63 Candidate Goals......Page 67 Electoral Resources......Page 69 Conclusion: Candidate Behavior and Electoral Infrastructure......Page 79 4 Many Candidates, Few Choices......Page 81 Defining the Dependent Variable: Coordination and Cooperation in Candidate Entry Decisions......Page 82 Who Are the Candidates?......Page 86 The Impact of Rules: Defining the Costs of Entry......Page 88 Assessing the Likelihood of Success: Institutions and Context......Page 97 Electoral Systems and the Probability of Success......Page 98 Stocking the Pool: Defining the Benefits of Candidacy......Page 102 The Last Chance for Coordination: Strategic Withdrawal......Page 105 Conclusion: Candidate Entry, Democrats, and Democracy......Page 109 5 To Join or Not to Join: Candidate Affiliation in Transitional Russia......Page 112 Defining the Dependent Variable: Partisan or Independent Candidates......Page 114 Characterizing the Affiliation Decision......Page 116 Predicting Affiliation: Goals, Resources, and Reputations......Page 123 Explaining Affiliation......Page 126 Explaining Which Party: How Candidates Choose Among Options......Page 130 Conclusion: Coordination, Cooperation, and Party Building......Page 134 The Consequences for Party Organizations......Page 135 Affiliation and Information......Page 137 Affiliation, Coordination, and Cooperation......Page 138 6 Finding Fit: Candidates and Their Districts......Page 141 Defining District Selection......Page 142 Yaroslavl: Two Candidates, Two Paths......Page 148 Explaining District Selection......Page 150 Redistricting......Page 151 Residency Requirements......Page 152 Candidate Resources......Page 155 Candidate Goals......Page 156 Other Possible Influences......Page 157 The Determinants of District Choice......Page 158 Untangling the Factors Behind District Selection: Multivariate Analysis......Page 161 Incumbents and District Selection......Page 167 The Effects of District Choice on Electoral Infrastructure......Page 171 7 Campaigning for the Duma: Mixed Markets, Mixed Messages......Page 175 Coordination and Cooperation Dilemmas in Electoral Campaigns......Page 177 Campaign Organization and Activity......Page 180 Different Constituencies, Different Messages: Predicting Campaign Appeals......Page 183 Explaining Mixed Messages......Page 186 Political Parties, Issues, and Target Constituencies......Page 194 The Accumulation of Infrastructure: The Problem of Inference......Page 199 The Meaning of Elections in New Democracies......Page 205 8 Democrats, Democratic Transitions, and Democracy......Page 207 Russian Democracy: Past, Present, and Future......Page 208 The Advantages of a Candidate-Centered Approach......Page 212 Political Parties and Consolidation......Page 214 Political Institutions and Consolidation......Page 216 The Impact of Uncertainty on Democratic Consolidation......Page 218 Conclusion......Page 220 Appendix A: The Sample......Page 223 Block 1: Demographic Information......Page 225 Block 4: Experience as a Candidate......Page 226 Block 5: Electoral Experience......Page 227 Block 6: The 1999 Campaign......Page 228 Appendix C: Variables Constructed from Survey Data......Page 233 Cultural Variables......Page 239 Political Variables......Page 240 Works Cited......Page 243 Index......Page 255 Cover 1 Half-title 3 Series-title 5 Title 7 Copyright 8 Contents 9 1 Elections and Development of Democratic Capacity 11 Why Study Russia? 14 A Strategy for Theory Development: Linking Individual Behavior, Elections, and System-Level Outcomes 16 The Plan of the Book 20 2 One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: Russia's Failed Consolidation in Comparative Context 24 Defining and Measuring Democratic Consolidation in the Postcommunist Context 26 Elections and Democratic Consolidation: Promoting Elite Commitment and Interest Aggregation 30 Structure and Agency: Explaining Different Trajectories of Democratic Development 32 Civic Culture Versus Political Cleavages 33 Post-Soviet Versus Postcommunist 33 Economic Explanations 34 International Influences 35 Institutional Explanations: Majoritarian Versus Proportional Structures 36 Strategy and Choice: The Primacy of Actions in Consolidation 37 Testing Theories of Consolidation: Model and Results 38 Interpreting the Results 42 Democratic Deepening: Forging Linkages and Defining Priorities 44 Looking Beyond Political Parties: The Role of Infrastructure 45 Looking Ahead: A Model of Candidates’ Choices 51 3 The Microfoundations of Democratic Responsiveness: Candidate Strategies and Electoral Infrastructure 53 A Research Design for Testing the Micro Model 55 Candidate Strategies as the Dependent Variable 56 Explaining Candidate Decisions: The Independent Variables 58 Electoral Institutions 59 Information and Uncertainty 63 Candidate Goals 67 Electoral Resources 69 Conclusion: Candidate Behavior and Electoral Infrastructure 79 4 Many Candidates, Few Choices 81 Defining the Dependent Variable: Coordination and Cooperation in Candidate Entry Decisions 82 Who Are the Candidates? 86 Explaining Candidate Entry Decisions in Transition 88 The Impact of Rules: Defining the Costs of Entry 88 Assessing the Likelihood of Success: Institutions and Context 97 Electoral Systems and the Probability of Success 98 Stocking the Pool: Defining the Benefits of Candidacy 102 The Last Chance for Coordination: Strategic Withdrawal 105 Conclusion: Candidate Entry, Democrats, and Democracy 109 5 To Join or Not to Join: Candidate Affiliation in Transitional Russia 112 Defining the Dependent Variable: Partisan or Independent Candidates 114 Characterizing the Affiliation Decision 116 Predicting Affiliation: Goals, Resources, and Reputations 123 Explaining Affiliation 126 Explaining Which Party: How Candidates Choose Among Options 130 Conclusion: Coordination, Cooperation, and Party Building 134 The Consequences for Party Organizations 135 Affiliation and Information 137 Affiliation, Coordination, and Cooperation 138 6 Finding Fit: Candidates and Their Districts 141 Defining District Selection 142 Yaroslavl: Two Candidates, Two Paths 148 Explaining District Selection 150 Redistricting 151 Residency Requirements 152 Candidate Information 155 Candidate Resources 155 Candidate Goals 156 Other Possible Influences 157 The Determinants of District Choice 158 Untangling the Factors Behind District Selection: Multivariate Analysis 161 Incumbents and District Selection 167 The Effects of District Choice on Electoral Infrastructure 171 7 Campaigning for the Duma: Mixed Markets, Mixed Messages 175 Coordination and Cooperation Dilemmas in Electoral Campaigns 177 Campaign Organization and Activity 180 Different Constituencies, Different Messages: Predicting Campaign Appeals 183 Explaining Mixed Messages 186 Political Parties, Issues, and Target Constituencies 194 The Accumulation of Infrastructure: The Problem of Inference 199 The Meaning of Elections in New Democracies 205 8 Democrats, Democratic Transitions, and Democracy 207 Russian Democracy: Past, Present, and Future 208 Toward a New Theory of Democratic Consolidation 212 The Advantages of a Candidate-Centered Approach 212 Political Parties and Consolidation 214 Political Institutions and Consolidation 216 The Impact of Uncertainty on Democratic Consolidation 218 Conclusion 220 Appendix A: The Sample 223 Appendix B: The Candidate Survey 225 Block 1: Demographic Information 225 Block 2: Activity in Parties, Blocks, or Societal Organizations 226 Block 3: General Political Experience 226 Block 4: Experience as a Candidate 226 Block 5: Electoral Experience 227 Block 6: The 1999 Campaign 228 Appendix C: Variables Constructed from Survey Data 233 Appendix D: Sample and Variable Construction for Analysis in Chapter 2 239 The Dependent Variable 239 Cultural Variables 239 Economic Variables 240 Political Variables 240 Works Cited 243 Index 255 This Book Explores The Conditions Under Which Electoral Competition Contributes To Democratic Developments. The Theoretic Framework Focuses On The Construction Of Infrastructure That Transforms Competitive Elections Into Mechanisms Of Democratic Development And Shows How Candidates For National Parliamentary Office Systematically Chose Electoral Strategies That Undermined Russia's Democratic Foundation And Created The Conditions For A New Single-party Autocracy To Emerge.--jacket. Elections And The Development Of Democratic Capacity -- One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: Russia's Failed Consolidation In Comparative Context -- The Microfoundations Of Democratic Responsiveness: Candidate Strategies And Electoral Infrastructure -- Many Candidates, Few Choices -- To Join Or Not To Join: Candidate Affiliation In Transitional Russia -- Finding Fit: Candidates And Their Districts -- Campaigning For The Duma: Mixed Markets, Mixed Messages -- Democrats, Democratic Transitions, And Russian Democracy. Regina Smyth. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 233-244) And Index. In the early 1990s, competitive elections in the Russian Federation signaled the end to the authoritarian political system dominated by a single political party. More than ten years and many elections later, a single party led by Russian President Vladimir Putin threatens to end Russia's democratic experiment. Russia's experience with new elections is not unique but it does challenge existing theories of democratic consolidation by showing that competitive elections cannot guarantee successful democratic consolidation. This book explores the conditions under which electoral competition contributes to democratic development by examining impact of elections on democratic consolidation.