Studies in Contemporary Russia: Studies in Contemporary Russia
About the Book Series
Studies in Contemporary Russia is a series of cutting-edge, contemporary studies. These monographs, joint publications and edited volumes branch out into various disciplines, innovatively combining research methods and theories to approach the core questions of Russian modernisation; how do the dynamics of resources and rules affect the Russian economy and what are the prospects and needs of diversification? What is the impact of the changing state-society relationship? How does the emerging welfare regime work? What is the role of Russia in contemporary international relations? How should we understand the present Russian political system? What is the philosophical background of modernisation as a whole and its Russian version in particular? The variety of opinions on these issues is vast. Some see increasingly less difference between contemporary Russia and the Soviet Union while, at the other extreme, prominent experts regard Russia as a 'more or less' normal European state. At the same time new variants of modernisation are espoused as a result of Russian membership of the global BRIC powers. Combining aspects of Western and Soviet modernisation with some anti-modern or traditional tendencies the Russian case is ideal for probing deeper into the evolving nature of modernisation. Which of the available courses Russia will follow remains an open question, but these trajectories provide the alternatives available for discussion in this ground-breaking and authoritative series. The editor and the editorial board of the series represent the Finnish Centre of Excellence in Russian Studies: Choices of Russian Modernisation.
Terrorism and Power in Russia: The Empire of (In)security and the Remaking of Politics
1st Edition
By Anastassiya Mahon
March 02, 2026
Why is it that in Russia, crises so often become framed as terrorism—and what does this tell us about power, politics and state control? This book examines how the Kremlin has used the language of terrorism to shape Russia’s domestic, regional, and international politics, from the Chechen Wars to ...
Russian Policies for the Development of the Northern Sea Route
1st Edition
By Jawahar Bhagwat
February 18, 2026
This book explains Russian policies for developing the Northern Sea Route (NSR), analysing Moscow’s public policy and national and geopolitical considerations in developing national maritime transport routes. The state’s organizational structure and regulatory framework are analysed to provide a ...
State Capability and Challenges to Russia’s Food Security in the Twenty-first Century
1st Edition
By Stephen K. Wegren
November 24, 2025
This book offers a rigorous examination of Russia's state capability through the critical lens of food security, revealing profound implications for domestic stability and international relations. Drawing on extensive research, the author demonstrates how food insecurity has historically ...
Elections, the Ethnic Factor and Patronal Politics in the Russian Regions: Anatomy of Loyalty
1st Edition
By Stanislav Shkel
March 25, 2025
This book focuses on the intricacies of elections within Russian ethnic republics and political loyalty in these regions. Many of the ethnic republics support the Russian president and the ruling party to a significantly greater degree than the national average and serve as crucial regional pillars...
The Politics of the Pandemic in Eastern Europe and Eurasia: Blame Game and Governance
1st Edition
Edited
By Margarita Zavadskaya
December 18, 2024
This book provides a comprehensive overview of the political impact of the COVID-19 emergency in central and eastern Europe and Eurasia. Offering a theoretical framework linking the authoritarian, post-Soviet institutional legacy with patterns of political behavior, support and governments’ ...
Freedom of Expression and the Law in Russia: Asymmetrical Information
1st Edition
By Mariya Riekkinen
December 04, 2024
This book discusses how Russia’s legal system restricts freedom of expression. As the author analyses legal amendments restricting the free flow of information since 2012, she draws upon Akerlof’s framework of “Asymmetrical information” and Luhmann’s “System Theory” to show how these amendments ...
Stalin Era Intellectuals: Culture and Stalinism
1st Edition
Edited
By Vesa Oittinen, Elina Viljanen
May 27, 2024
This book focuses on the extent to which Soviet scholars and cultural theoreticians were able to act autonomously during the Stalin era. The authors question how we should consider certain intellectual achievements which took place despite the pressure of Stalinism, and how best to recognise and ...
Studies in Contemporary Journalism and Communication in Russia’s Provinces
1st Edition
Edited
By Greg Simons, Anna Sumskaya
January 29, 2024
This book examines the contemporary communicational practices of journalists and media outlets and the consumption and reception patterns of audiences in Russia’s provinces with an emphasis on the intergenerational transmission of culture and memory. Investigating the interaction and issues of ...
Russia’s Cultural Statecraft
1st Edition
Edited
By Tuomas Forsberg, Sirke Mäkinen
May 31, 2023
This book focusses on Russia’s cultural statecraft in dealing with a number of institutional cultural domains such as education, museums and monuments, high arts and sport. It analyses to what extent Russia’s cultural activities abroad have been used for foreign policy purposes, and perceived as ...
Complaints to the Authorities in Russia: A Trap Between Tradition and Legal Modernization
1st Edition
By Elena Bogdanova
January 09, 2023
This book considers the process of legal modernization in Russia from the development of the mechanism of complaints addressed to the authorities from the pre-revolutionary period to today. It analyzes wide-ranging data and sources, collected over 17 years, such as legislation, in-depth interviews,...
Social Distinctions in Contemporary Russia: Waiting for the Middle-Class Society?
1st Edition
Edited
By Jouko Nikula, Mikhail Chernysh
June 13, 2022
This book analyses social change in Russia, in particular the development of a middle class, one of the most important social and political projects of Putin’s administration. Using unique survey data collected in 1998, 2007 and 2015, the authors make extensive and theoretically justified analyses ...
Russian Modernization: A New Paradigm
1st Edition
Edited
By Markku Kivinen, Brendan G. Humphreys
May 30, 2022
Building on an original interpretation of social theory and an interdisciplinary approach, this book creates a new paradigm in the Russian studies. Taking a fresh view of Russia’s multiple experiences of modernization, it seeks to explain the Putin era in a completely new way. This book explores ...