ABSTRACT
The largest remnant of the former Soviet Union, the Russian Federation, was also a multinational federation, and during 1992 to 1994, it seemed as if the Russian Federation might also be headed for disintegration. This chapter considers the problems of creating strong but limited central government in Russia. It explains how subjects of a federation can coordinate their responses to attempted exploitation by the central government. A central government that has grown too strong denies to regional governments the autonomy necessary to derive the benefits of federalization most often cited by its proponents. The chapter looks at institutions and bargaining dynamics within Russia during the post-Soviet period. Russian institutional designers have also hoped to see the party system emerge as a locus for interregional collective action on a national scale. The chapter concludes with some brief considerations of the normative implications of strong or weak central governments in a federal system.
