ABSTRACT

Seven years of Russian market reforms have led to a number of fundamental changes in the landscape of Russia's socio-political and socioeconomic systems. Russia's economy has taken on such market characteristics as free price formation, a two-level banking system that includes commercial banks, and competition among manufacturers; a majority of Russian enterprises have achieved true economic independence. Economic reforms require a more mature approach. Russian socioeconomic reforms of the past decade typically were introduced from the top down. Overlooking the regional factor was one of the main reasons for the unsatisfactory development of reforms in Russia and for their loss of momentum. More than four hundred public organizations are registered, including fifteen regional branches of national Russian political parties and ten branches of public movements. With a renewed interest in the Russian market, the Russian regions will be in strong competition for investment and trade dollars. The post-Soviet Russian experience of governance on the regional level is amazingly varied.