The Futility of the Neoliberal Policy of Deliberate Market Construction and the Promise of an Institutionalist Alternative: The Case of Russia's Authoritarian Transition

This study conceptualizes the authoritarian and elitist state that emerged in Russia by the mid-2000s as a particularly Russian type of neoliberal state and explains why at present in Russia, economic and political democratization cannot commence as a movement from below, but must be instituted from above. The paper contrasts existing viewpoints on deliberate market construction, constructivist neoliberalism and institutionalism, and elucidates why the policies of constructivist neoliberalism will not lead to democratic change in Russia. Therefore this paper argues for an institutionalist plan of democratic market construction based on ownership empowerment and discusses policy strategies for its implementation.