Regionalisation Trends in Russia

Regionalisation in Russia is to be understood as part of the overall transformation process. It is argued that while the form of regionalisation during the Yeltsin era after 1991 presented an image of democratic legitimacy, it was still largely based on the same structures and characteristics as the 'regionalism' that took shape during the Soviet era. In this context, the real significance of Putin's federal reforms is to be seen in the fact that a number of the faults in this essentially Soviet system have been laid bare and challenged. Thus, Putin's reforms are not to be dismissed as a purely administrative measure to strengthen central state power and control. Instead, they constitute an attempt to eliminate this form of regionalism in order to build a more favourable basis for Russia's integration into global economic contexts and structures. The fact that Russia is moving in this direction is not, however, solely attributable to Putin's federal reforms. There is a wide and diverse range of other factors propitious to this course.