This paper assesses the outcomes of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, examining the costs and economic impact of the event, the prospects for the long-term use of venues and infrastructure, and the attitudes of the global and the Russian population. It finds that total costs were...

This paper develops the notion of “event seizure” to better understand how mega-events, and the elites associated with them, take possession of host cities and societies – of development plans, funds and legislation – and impose their priorities on cities and citizens. It illustrates how...

When first conceived in 1916, protected areas in Russia were considered as sancta of nature. In post-Soviet times, however, the fortunes of protected areas have undergone swift change: from a period of liberalisation and a conservation bonanza in the 1990s to increasing exploitation in the 2000s...