Economic Policy Making and Business Culture: Why is Russia So Different?

“In this thoroughly documented and accessible book, David Dyker shows the origin and history of the problem of unstable norms, which has permeated the Russian economy. In doing this he demonstrates that we cannot understand an economy outside the context of its historical roots. This book is a tour de force of how the Russian economy has become what it is today. It is an indispensable read for scholars, students and businessmen interested in Russia and will remain one of the key readings on the subject for years to come.”– Professor Slavo Radosevic, Deputy Director of The School of Slavonic and East European Studies

“The book benefits from Dyker’s extensive knowledge and thoughtful insights. It succeeds in explaining why Russia is different, especially from Germany, Japan and China, which also had strong authoritariautocratic traditions.” —Choice

In this thoroughly documented and accessible book, David Dyker shows the origin and history of the problem of unstable norms, which has permeated the Russian economy. In doing this he demonstrates that we cannot understand an economy outside the context of its historical roots. This book is a tour de force of how the Russian economy has become what it is today. It is an indispensable read for scholars, students and businessmen interested in Russia and will remain one of the key readings on the subject for years to come. –Professor Slavo Radosevic, Deputy Director, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London

In seeking to illuminate the interface between Russia and the world, we also examine Russia’s attitude to itself, and to its own resources natural and human; to land as an agricultural resource, and, later, oil and gas; and to people as cheap labour and as highly trained scientific personnel. The book is firmly based on scholarly sources in English, French and Russian, but aims to go beyond the academic audience to address the concerns of people encountering Russians and Russian organisations in their everyday lives.