Jordan Gans-Morse, ABF Doctoral Fellow- "Out of Chaos? Business Conflicts and the Development of Legal Institutions in Russia”
- When: February 10, 2010, 12 pm–1:30 am
- Where: Woods Conference Center, 750 N Lake Shore Drive, 4th Floor
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ABF Doctoral Fellow, UC Berkeley
"Out of Chaos? Business Conflicts and the Development of Legal Institutions in Russia”
Abstract: What is the Russian business sector’s role in developing the rule of law? In recent years a near consensus has formed among policymakers, social scientists, and legal scholars that secure property rights are essential for economic growth, and many scholars argue that a powerful private sector is a determinant of institutional development. However, observers of Russia often contend that the business sector consists of unscrupulous competitors who usurp property rights as they seize assets by any means possible.
Based on interviews with Russian businesspeople and lawyers, as well as a large-scale survey of Russian enterprises, I argue that it is misleading to assume that firms are either supporters or opponents of property rights. Instead, firms’ support is conditional. Legal institutions simultaneously enable business transactions and constrain firms’ ability to use illicit strategies for acquiring and protecting assets. My dissertation research analyzes the conditions affecting this balance of benefits and constraints. The project’s findings will contribute to understanding of the politics of building legal institutions.
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