Vladimir Gel'man

Research interests: research in contemporary Russian and post-Soviet politics in theoretical and comparative perspective

Bio:

• In 2012, Prof. Gel’man was chosen as a Finland Distinguished Professor (FiDiPro) by the Academy of Sciences of Finland. Out of all four rounds of the competition process, he is the only Russian scholar to have received the FiDiPro. On January 23, 2014 Professor Gel'man delivered a lecture "Opposition in Russia: A Troubled Rebirth" in the Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki.
• Invited to lecture at the Central European University, UT Austin, and the Russian School of Economics.
• Received grants and research stipends from Oxford University, the University of Essex, the Social Science Research Center Berlin, and the University of Notre Dame.
• Served on the editorial boards of the following journals: Polis, European Political Science, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Journal of Eurasian Studies.
• Author of various articles in the following journals: International Political Science Review, Democratization, Europe-Asia Studies, Post-Soviet Affairs, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Regional and Federal Studies, Communist and Post-Communist Studies, Osteuropa, and others.
• Laureate of the journal Europe-Asia Studies (1999), for the article “Regime Transition, Uncertainty, and Prospects for Democratization: The Politics of Russia’s Regions in Comparative Perspective.”
• Laureate of the Russian Association of Political Science (2002, 2007) and the Russian Society of Sociologists (2011) for excellent books.
• Most often-cited Russian political scientist (google scholar: 1520 citations as of December 2012; Web of Science: 218 citations as of December 2012)
• Author of a well-known blog on Russian politics and various aspects of academic life (grey-dolphin.livejournal.com).
• Academic interests: contemporary Russian and post-Soviet politics in theoretical and comparative perspectives.

Review Excerpts:

• "Vladimir Gel'man... add enormous depth to our picture of Russia's troubled transition", Timothy Colton, Harvard University;
• "[Gel'man's book] is required reading for anyone interested in understanding Russia's protracted transition from Communist rule", Michael McFaul, Stanford University;
• "Gel'man's book... is an example of how intellectual traditions are being renegotiated in the effort to rewrite both Russian political science and Russian politics and deserves a wide readership", Neil Robinson, University of Limerick (Slavic Review);
• "[Gel'man's] book serves as a model for social science research in Russia", Elizabeth Pascal, Wesleyan University (Slavic Review);
• "[Gel'man's book] is a profoundly important contribution to the field of Russian Studies likely to influence how we conceive political change in Russia for many years to come", Joel Moses, Iowa State University (The Russian Review).

From a polit.ru public lecture, March 2008:
“I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but Russia is not a unique country. It’s interesting that some countries have been able to successfully implement an authoritarian project while others have not… I try to compare the Russian experience with the experience of other countries, whether post-Soviet or not, to understand the general patterns as well as the specifics of particular countries… However, one problem is whether it is even possible to conduct this kind of research in an authoritarian state.

From an interview with Alexanteri News, October 2012:
“Looking at Russian politics now, I don't think we should be too positive. But I do think that things have begun to change. …We cannot speak of Russian politics as just games of elites anymore. What seems most important to me is that if we want things to change, a rise in mass political activism is necessary.”

Monoghraphs:

• Трансформация в России: политический режим и демократическая оппозиция. М.: МОНФ, 1999, 240 с. (серия “Монографии”, N7).
• Автономия или контроль? Реформа местной власти в городах России, 1991-2001. СПб; М.: Европейский университет в Санкт-Петербурге; Летний сад, 2002, 380 с; со-авторы: С.Рыженков, Е.Белокурова, Н.Борисова (серия «Труды факультета политических наук и социологии», выпуск 7).
• Making and Breaking Democratic Transitions: The Comparative Politics of Russia’s Regions. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2003, 310 p.; co-authors S.Ryzhenkov, M.Brie.
• Реформа местной власти в городах России, 1991-2006. СПб: Норма, 2008, 368 с. со-авторы: С.Рыженков, Е.Белокурова, Н.Борисова. (pdf 1,3MB) 
• The Politics of Sub-National Authoritarianism in Russia (Ashgate, 2010, co-edited with C.Ross)
• Resource Curse and Post-Soviet Eurasia: Oil, Gas, and Modernization (Lexington Books, 2010; co-edited with O.Marganiya)

Working papers

• Regional Profile: St.Petersburg and Leningradskaya oblast (with E.Belokurova, M.Nozhenko). Russian Regional Research Group, University of Birgmingham, Working Paper, 1997, N12, 141 pp.
• Regime Transition, Uncertainty, and Prospects for Democratization: The Politics of Russia’s Regions in a Comparative Perspective. Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin fur Sozialforschung Papers, 1999, P99-001, 31 s.
• Regionale Machtstrukturen und die Transformation in Russland. Die Dynamik Institutioneller Veraenderungen im Vergleich. Arbeitspapiere und Materialien. Forschungsstelle Osteuropa am der Universitat Bremen, 1999, N21, 24 s.
• The Eve of Electoral Threshold: New Challenges in Russian Politics. PONARS Policy Memo Series, Davis Center for Russian Studies, Harvard University, 1999, N73.
• The Dictatorship of Law in Russia: Neither Dictatorship Nor Rule of Law. PONARS Policy Memo Series, Davis Center for Russian Studies, Harvard University, 2000, N146.
• The Rise and Fall of Federal Reform in Russia. PONARS Policy Memo Series, Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2001, N238.
• Politics beyond the Ring Road: Rethinking Post-Soviet Experience. Studies in Public Policy, Center for the Study of Public Policy, University of Strathclyde, 2002, N367, 36 p.
• United Russia: Ruling Party or New Emperor’s Clothes? PONARS Policy Memo Series, Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2002, N255.
• Free but Unfair? The Problems of Electoral Governance in Russia PONARS Policy Memo Series, Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2003, N292.
• The Extinction of Political Opposition in Russia PONARS Policy Memo Series, Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2004, N340.
• Динамика субнационального авторитаризма: Россия в сравнительной перспективе. СПб: Издательство Европейского университета в Санкт-Петербурге, 2008, 32 с. (Препринт М-01/08). (pdf 197KB)
• «Подрывные» институты и неформальное управление в современной России. СПб: Издательство Европейского университета в Санкт-Петербурге, 2010, 28 с. (Препринт М-13/10). (pdf 402KB)

Books editing

• Elections in Russia, 1993-1996: Analyses, Documents, and Data. Berlin: edition Sigma, 1999, 473 p.; co-editor G.Golosov (series “Founding Elections in Eastern Europe”, vol.7).
• Elites and Democratic Development in Russia. London and New York: Routledge, 2003, 216 p.; co-editor A.Steen (series “Routledge Studies of Societies in Transition”, vol.24). Аннотация книги в Интернет (pdf 24KB)
• The Politics of Local Government in Russia. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2004, 300 p.; co-editor A.Evans.
• The 1999-2000 National Elections in Russia: Analyses, Documents, and Data. Berlin: edition Sigma, 2005, 228 p.; co-editors G.Golosov, E.Meleshkina.
• Resource Curse and Post-Soviet Eurasia: Oil, Gas, and Modernization. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2010, 218 p.; co-editor O.Marganiya.
• The Politics of Sub-National Authoritarianism in Russia. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2010, 226 p.; co-editor C.Ross.

Articles in English

• Die Bevollmachtigen Das Praesidenten im Spannungsfeld zwischen Zentrum und Oertlicher Macht. Berliner Debatte INITIAL, 1994, N3, S.13-24.
• The politics of city government: Leningrad/St.Petersburg, 1990-1992 (with M.McAuley). T.Friedgut and J.Hahn (eds.) Local Power and Post-Soviet Politics. Armonk, NY, and London, M.E.Sharpe: 1994, P.15-42.
• New Associations and Political Parties (co-author A.Brown). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Russia and the Former Soviet Union. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994, P.346-347.
• Political dynamics in Russian province: trends since October 1993 (with O.Senatova). Contemporary Political Studies, 1995, Vol.1, P.435-444.
• Sub-national politics in Russia in post-Communist transition period: a view from Moscow (with O.Senatova). Regional and Federal Studies, 1995, Vol.5, N2, P.211-223.
• Policy Subjects and Factors in Povolzh’e (with O.Senatova, A.Kassimov, S.Ryzhenkov). K.Segbers and S.De Spiegeleire (eds.) Post-Soviet Puzzles: Mapping Political Economy at the Former Soviet Union. Baden-Baden: Nomos, 1995, vol.2, P.301-324.
• On the Problem of Elites in the Former Soviet Union: Criteria and Approaches. K.Segbers and S.De Spiegeleire (eds.). Post-Soviet Puzzles: Mapping Political Economy at the Former Soviet Union. Baden-Baden: Nomos, 1995, vol.3, P.15-23.
• Parteienforschung (1988 bis 1995) (mit D.Torchov). I.Oswald u.a. (Hrsg.). Sozialwissenschaft im Russland. Band 1. Deutsch-Russisches Monitoring. Berlin: Berliner Debatte Wissenschaftsverlag, 1996, S.114-153.
• Shaping Political Order: Regional Politics in Russia in Post-Soviet Period. E.Kirchner and K.Wright (eds.). Proceedings of the Conference ‘Regional and Inter-Regional Development in Transitional Societies: Political, Economical, Legal and Security Dimensions’. University of Essex, 1996, P.133-154.
• The Development of Political Parties in Russia. K.Dawisha and B.Parrott (ed.). Democratic Changes and Authoritarian Reactions in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997, P.175-219 (co-author M.Urban).
• Politische Regionalistik in Russland: Politicshes Consulting oder neue Wissenschaftdisziplin? (mit S.Ryzhenkov). I.Oswald u.a. (Hrsg.). Sozialwissenschaft im Russland. Band 2. Deutsch-Russisches Monitoring. Berlin: Berliner Debatte Wissenschaftsverlag, 1997, S.106-150.
• Politikforschung im Gebiet Sverdlovsk: Entwicklungsstand, Probleme, Perspectiven. I.Oswald u.a. (Hrsg.). Sozialwissenschaft im Russland. Band 2. Deutsch-Russisches Monitoring. Berlin: Berliner Debatte Wissenschaftverlag, 1997, S.173-182.
• Herausbildung regionaler Regime in Russland. J.Franzke and S.Henke (Hrsg.). Russland Heute. Staat und Gesellschaft im Umbruch. Potsdam: Brandenburgische Landeszentrale fur Politische Bildung, 1997, S.35-44.
• The Iceberg of Russian Political Finance. P.Burnell and A.Ware (eds.). Funding Democratization. Manchester and New York: Manchester University Press, 1998, P.158-179. Reprinted in A.Brown (ed.). Contemporary Russian Politics: A Reader. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001, P.179-194.
• Regional Party System Formation in Russia: The Deviant Case of Sverdlovsk Oblast’ (with G.Golosov). The Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, 1998, vol.14, N1/2, P.31-53. Also in J.Lowenhardt (ed.). Party Politics in Postcommunist Russia. London and Portland, OR: Frank Cass, 1998, P.31-53.
• Regional Power in Contemporary Russia: Institutions, Regimes, and Practice. Russian Politics and Law, 1999, vol.37, N1, P.5-29.
• Regime Transition, Uncertainty, and Prospects for Democratization: The Politics of Russia’s Regions in a Comparative Perspective. Europe-Asia Studies, 1999, vol.51, N6, P.939-956. Reprinted in A.Brown (ed.). Contemporary Russian Politics: A Reader. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001, P.499-510. (pdf 167KB)
• Russia’s Transition and Founding Elections. V.Gel’man and G.Golosov (eds.), Elections in Russia, 1993-1996: Analyses, Documents, and Data. Berlin: edition Sigma, 1999, P.19-46 (co-author V.Elizarov).
• Institutional Design: Crafting Electoral Law. V.Gel’man and G.Golosov (eds.), Elections in Russia, 1993-1996: Analyses, Documents, and Data. Berlin: edition Sigma, 1999, P.47-72.
• Sub-National Institutions in Contemporary Russia. N.Robinson (ed.), Institutions and Political Change in Russia. London: Macmillan, 2000, P.85-105.
• Electoral Research in Russia. H.-D.Klingemann, K.Newton, and E.Mochmann (eds.), Elections in Central and Eastern Europe: The First Wave. Berlin: edition Sigma, 2000, P.263-291.
• The Politics of Russia’s Regions: A Comparative Perspective. S.Harter and G.Easter (eds.), Shaping the Economic Space in Russia. Decision Making Processes, Institutions and Adjustment to Change in the El’tsin Era. Aldershot and Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing, 2000, P.227-248.
• Studies of Political Elites in Russia: Issues and Alternatives. Communist and Post-Communist Studies, 2000, vol. 33, N3, P.311-329 (co-author I.Tarusina); also in: A.Steen and V.Gel’man (eds.), Elites and Democratic Development in Russia. London and New York: Routledge, 2003, P.187-205. (pdf 87.8KB)
• Electoral Democracy in Russia. Russia on Russia, 2000, N3, P.63-68.
• A Cross-Regional Comparison of Cleavage Patterns, Actors’ Autonomy and Regime Outcomes. K.Segbers (ed.), Explaining Post-Soviet Patchworks. Vol.3. The Political Economy of Regions, Regimes, and Republics. Aldershot and Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2001, P.199-226.
• Democratization Challenged: The Role of Regional Elites. B.Ruble, J.Koehn, and N.Popson (eds.), Fragmented Space in the Russian Federation. Washington, DС, and Baltimore: Woodrow Wilson Press and Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 2001, P.157-217 (co-authors J.Alexander and A.Degtyarev).
• Russia’s Elites in Search of Consensus: What Kind of Consolidation? Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization, 2002, vol.10, N3, P.343-361; also in: A.Steen and V.Gel’man (eds.), Elites and Democratic Development in Russia. London and New York: Routledge, 2003, P.29-50. (pdf 66.4KB)
• Democratization, Structural Pluralism and Fragile Bicetrism: The Case of Volgograd Oblast. C.Ross (ed.), Regional Politics in Russia. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2002, P.154-176.
• Politics Beyond the Garden Ring: What Might We Learn From Studies of Russia’s Regionalism? M.Kivinen and K.Pynnoniemi (eds.), Beyond the Garden Ring: Dimensions of Russian Regionalism. Helsinki: Kikimora Publications, 2002, P.14-40.
• The Politics of Local Government in Russia: The Neglected Side of the Story. Perspectives on European Politics and Society, 2002, vol.3, N3, P.495-508. (pdf 122KB)
• Elites and Democratic Development in Russia: An Introduction (co-authored with A.Steen). A.Steen and V.Gel’man (eds.), Elites and Democratic Development in Russia. London and New York: Routledge, 2003, P.1-10.
• In Search of Local Autonomy: The Politics of Big Cities in Russia’s Transition. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 2003, vol.27, N1, P.48-61.(pdf 110KB)
• Post-Soviet Transitions and Democratization: Toward a Theory-Building. Democratization, 2003, vol.10, N2, P.87-104. (pdf 69KB)
• Reform retour: Russlands kommunale Selbstverwaltung vor dem Aus? Osteuropa, 2003, Jg.53, N9-10, S.1343-1352.
• The Politics of Local Government in Russia: A Framework for Analysis. A.Evans and V.Gel’man (eds.), The Politics of Local Government in Russia. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2004, P.1-16.
• Federal Policies Toward Local Government in Russia: The Process of Institution-Building. A.Evans and V.Gel’man (eds.), The Politics of Local Government in Russia. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2004, P.85-103.
• Conclusion: Toward a New Politics of Local Government in Russia? (co-authored with A.Evans). A.Evans and V.Gel’man (eds.), The Politics of Local Government in Russia. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2004, P.274-287.
• Politics beyond the Garden Ring: Rethinking the Post-Soviet Experience. W.Slater and A.Wilson (eds.), The Legacy of the Soviet Union. Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004, P.208-227.
• The Unrule of Law in the Making: The Politics of Informal Institution-Building in Russia. Europe-Asia Studies, 2004, vol.56, N7, P.1021-1040. (pdf 159KB)
• Rusya’da Demokratik Gecis Sureci ve Bolgeler. Politikasinin E.Buyukakinci (der.), Degisen Dunyada Rusya ve Ukrayna, Ankara, Phoenix Vaymevi, 2004, S.23-50 (in Turkish).
• The 1999-2000 National Elections and the End of Regime Transition in Russia V.Gel’man, G.Golosov, and E.Meleshkina (eds.), The 1999-2000 National Elections in Russia: Analyses, Documents, and Data. Berlin: edition Sigma, 2005, P.11-35.
• Political Opposition in Russia: Is It Becoming Extinct? Russian Politics and Law, 2005, vol.43, N3, P.25-50, also in: Russian Social Science Review, 2005, vol.46, N4, P.5-30. (pdf 200KB)
• Political Opposition in Russia: A Dying Species? Post-Soviet Affairs, 2005, vol.21, N3, P.226-246.
• Wahlen a la Russe: Formale Normsetzung und informelle Methoden. Osteuropa, 2005, Jg.55, N10, S.85-98.
• From Feckless Pluralism to Dominant Power Politics? The Transformation of Russia’s Party System. Democratization, 2006, vol.13, N4, P.545-561. (pdf 111KB)
• The Politics of Recentralization in Contemporary Russia. H.Blakkisrud (ed.). Towards a Post-Putin Russia. Oslo: Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, 2006, P.23-37.
• The Transformation of Russia’s Party System, Russian Analytic Digest, 2007, 19 April, N17. Le Retour du Leviathan: la politique de recentralization en Russie depuis 2000. Critique Internationale, 2007, N34, P.103-125 (in French).
• The Politics of Local Government Reform in Russia: From Decentralization to Recentralization. F.Lazin, M.Evans, V.Hoffmann-Martinot, H.Wollmann (eds.). Local Government Reforms in Countries in Transition: A Global Perspective. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2007, P.71-90.
• Le parti dominant en Russie. Quelles perspectives? A.Merlin (ed.). Qu va la Russie? Bruxelles: Edition de l’Universite de Bruxelles, 2007, P.51-62.
• Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire? Post-Soviet Regime Changes in Comparative Perspective. International Political Science Review, 2008, vol.29, N2, P.157-180. (pdf 297KB)
• Authoritarian versus Democratic Diffusions: Explaining Institutional Choices in Russia’s Local Government. Post-Soviet Affairs, 2008, vol.24, N1, P.40-62 (co-author T.Lankina). (pdf 351KB)
• Russia: Public Offices, Private Money and Biased Contests. S.Roper, J.Ikstens (eds.). Public Finance and Post-Communist Party Development. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2008, P.11-27.
• Party Politics in Russia: From Competition to Hierarchy. Europe-Asia Studies, 2008, vol.60, N6, P.913-930. (pdf 180KB)
• From Local Autonomy to Power Vertical in Russia. N.Aarsaether, A.Roiseland, S.Jenssen (eds.). Practicing Local Governance: Local Perspectives. New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2008, P.13-26.
• The Return of the Leviathan? The Policy of Recentralization in Contemporary Russia. C.Ross, A.Campblell (eds.), Federalism and Local Politics in Russia. London and New York: Routledge, 2009, P.1-24.
• Sackgasse. Autoritare Modernisierung in Russland. Osteuropa, 2010, Jg.60, N1, S.3-13.
• Regime Changes Despite Legitimacy Crises: Exit, Voice, and Loyalty in Post-Communist Russia. Journal of Eurasian Studies, vol.1, N1, P.54-63. (pdf 216KB)
• Introduction: Resource Curse and Post-Soviet Eurasia. V.Gel’man, O.Marganiya (eds.). Resource Curse and Post-Soviet Eurasia: Oil, Gas, and Modernization. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2010, P.1-22.
• The Logic of Crony Capitalism: Big Oil, Big Politics, and Big Business in Russia.V.Gel’man, O.Marganiya (eds.). Resource Curse and Post-Soviet Eurasia: Oil, Gas, and Modernization. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2010, P.97-122.
• The Dynamics of Sub-National Authoritarianism: Russia in Comparative Perspective. V.Gel’man, C.Ross (eds.). The Politics of Sub-National Authoritarianism in Russia. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2010, P.1-18.
• Local Regimes, Sub-National Governance, and the ‘Power Vertical’ in Contemporary Russia // Europe-Asia Studies, 2011, vol.63, N3, p.449-465 (co-author S.Ryzhenkov) (pdf 178KB)

• Subversive Institutions, Informal Governance, and Contemporary Russian Politics. Communist and Post-Communist Studies, 2012, vol.45, N3-4, P.295-303.