Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book considers the work of an international, multidisciplinary research group studying transition in Russia. It focuses on the adjustment of local communities and enterprises to institutional changes, as well as their attempts to govern that development. The book concerns the governance of forest and fishery resources in Northwest Russia. The local view is approached empirically, with data gathered through interviews of local authorities, managers and people involved in the governance and use of natural resources. The book deals with an analysis of national policies and their impact on Russia's transition to a market economy, with a particular focus on how the institutional framework has developed. It analyzes general tendencies in the transformation of Russian institutions and the interest groups that have endeavoured to influence the development of those institutions.