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ID: 158491

Collective action and representation in autocracies: evidence from Russia’s great reforms / Dower, Paul Castañeda; Finkel, Evgeny ; Gehlbach, Scott ; Nafziger, Steven

Gehlbach, Scott	Journal Article
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Summary/Abstract

We explore the relationship between capacity for collective action and representation in autocracies with data from Imperial Russia. Our primary empirical exercise relates peasant representation in new institutions of local self-government to the frequency of peasant unrest in the decade prior to reform. To correct for measurement error in the unrest data and other sources of endogeneity, we exploit idiosyncratic variation in two determinants of peasant unrest: the historical incidence of serfdom and religious polarization. We find that peasants were granted less representation in districts with more frequent unrest in preceding years—a relationship consistent with the Acemoglu-Robinson model of political transitions and inconsistent with numerous other theories of institutional change. At the same time, we observe patterns of redistribution in subsequent years that are inconsistent with the commitment mechanism central to the Acemoglu-Robinson model. Building on these results, we discuss possible directions for future theoretical work.

Key Words

Collective Action ; Representation in Autocracies ; Evidence from Russia’s Great Reforms

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ID: 090814

Helping hand or grabbing hand? state bureaucracy and privatizat / Brown, J David; Earle, John S; Gehlbach, Scott

Brown, J David	Journal Article
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Publication

2009.

Summary/Abstract

Why have economic reforms aimed at reducing the role of the state been successful in some cases but not others? Are reform failures the consequence of leviathan states that hinder private economic activity, or of weak states unable to implement policies effectively and provide a supportive institutional environment? We explore these questions in a study of privatization in postcommunist Russia. Taking advantage of large regional variation in the size of public administrations, and employing a multilevel research design that controls for preprivatization selection in the estimation of regional privatization effects, we examine the relationship between state bureaucracy and the impact of privatization on firm productivity. We find that privatization is more effective in regions with relatively large bureaucracies. Our analysis suggests that this effect is driven by the impact of bureaucracy on the postprivatization business environment, with better institutional support and less corruption when bureaucracies are large.

Key Words

Economic Reforms ; Bureaucracy ; Privatization ; Helping Hand ; Grabbing Hand ; State Bureaucracy ;
Institutional Environment ; Public Administrations

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ID: 177872

Who reports crime? citizen engagement with the Police in Russia and Georgia / McCarthy, Lauren A; Gehlbach, Scott ; Frye, Timothy ; Buckley, Noah

Frye, Timothy	Journal Article
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Summary/Abstract

What factors affect citizens’ engagement with the state? We explore this question through a study of victims’ and bystanders’ willingness to report crimes to the police, using data from survey experiments conducted in Russia and Georgia. We find that citizens’ willingness to report in both countries is strongly influenced by the nature of the crime, but not generally by instruments that the state might use to encourage greater reporting. Our results recommend scepticism about the ability of governments to easily engineer citizens’ engagement with the state.

Key Words

Russia ; Georgia ; Police ; Citizen Engagement

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