ABSTRACT
After the election of a new Russian president in March 2000, there came a series of predictions that the acceleration of the economic reform process, accompanied by a strengthening of the state, would result in fast economic growth. In this chapter, I will play the role of devil’s advocate in order to identify the most important barriers to growth. I will also provide evidence that these barriers are too serious to be eliminated immediately. The last section of this chapter discusses how the barriers might eventually be overcome.
