Russia in Political Country Ratings

International Comparisons of Democracy, Rule of Law, and Civil Rights

Author(s): Heiko Pleines
Editor(s): Matthias Neumann, Robert Orttung, Jeronim Perovic, Heiko Pleines, Hans-Henning Schröder
Series: Russian Analytical Digest (RAD)
Issue: 21
Pages: 2-4
Publisher(s): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich; Research Centre for East European Studies, University of Bremen
Publication Year: 2007

A series of ratings established by Freedom House, the Bertelsmann Foundation, Transparency International, and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) attempt to assess the political situation in the countries of the world through regular quantitative rankings. This article investigates how Russia fares in these ratings. The numbers generally confirm the widespread perception of increasing authoritarian tendencies. At the same time, a distinction within the CIS countries can be observed. Russia's rating is approaching that of Belarus, while Ukraine continues to be assessed in an increasingly positive light. However, the ratings also indicate the necessity of differentiating between various policy fields. In the area of corruption, for example, there are no relevant differences over time or among CIS states. It should also be noted, however, that the explanatory power of the ratings is limited by methodological problems and, particularly, by the subjective nature of the indicators being collated.

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