The Politics of Institutional Choice

The Formation of the Russian State Duma

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, International, Foreign Legal Systems
Cover of the book The Politics of Institutional Choice by Steven S. Smith, Thomas F. Remington, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Steven S. Smith, Thomas F. Remington ISBN: 9781400823949
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: November 20, 2000
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Steven S. Smith, Thomas F. Remington
ISBN: 9781400823949
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: November 20, 2000
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

Events in Russia since the late 1980s have created a rare opportunity to watch the birth of democratic institutions close at hand. Here Steven Smith and Thomas Remington provide the first intensive, theoretically grounded examination of the early development of the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian Federation's parliament created by the 1993 constitution. They offer an integrated account of the choices made by the newly elected members of the Duma in establishing basic operating arrangements: an agenda-setting governing body, a standing committee system, an electoral law, and a party system. Not only do these decisions promise to have lasting consequences for the post-communist Russian regime, but they also enable the authors to test assumptions about politicians' goals from the standpoint of institutional theory.

Smith and Remington challenge in particular the notion, derived from American contexts, that politicians pursue a single, overarching goal in the creation of institutions. They argue that politicians have multiple political goals--career, policy, and partisan--that drive their choices. Among Duma members, the authors detect many cross currents of interests, generated by the mixed electoral system, which combines both single-member districts and proportional representation, and by sharp policy divisions and an emerging party system. Elected officials may shift from concentrating on one goal to emphasizing another, but political contexts can help determine their behavior. This book brings a fresh perspective to numerous theories by incorporating first-hand accounts of major institutional choices and placing developments in their actual context.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Events in Russia since the late 1980s have created a rare opportunity to watch the birth of democratic institutions close at hand. Here Steven Smith and Thomas Remington provide the first intensive, theoretically grounded examination of the early development of the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian Federation's parliament created by the 1993 constitution. They offer an integrated account of the choices made by the newly elected members of the Duma in establishing basic operating arrangements: an agenda-setting governing body, a standing committee system, an electoral law, and a party system. Not only do these decisions promise to have lasting consequences for the post-communist Russian regime, but they also enable the authors to test assumptions about politicians' goals from the standpoint of institutional theory.

Smith and Remington challenge in particular the notion, derived from American contexts, that politicians pursue a single, overarching goal in the creation of institutions. They argue that politicians have multiple political goals--career, policy, and partisan--that drive their choices. Among Duma members, the authors detect many cross currents of interests, generated by the mixed electoral system, which combines both single-member districts and proportional representation, and by sharp policy divisions and an emerging party system. Elected officials may shift from concentrating on one goal to emphasizing another, but political contexts can help determine their behavior. This book brings a fresh perspective to numerous theories by incorporating first-hand accounts of major institutional choices and placing developments in their actual context.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book A Theory of Global Biodiversity (MPB-60) by Steven S. Smith, Thomas F. Remington
Cover of the book Numerical Methods by Steven S. Smith, Thomas F. Remington
Cover of the book After the Baby Boomers by Steven S. Smith, Thomas F. Remington
Cover of the book The Rise of Russia and the Fall of the Soviet Empire by Steven S. Smith, Thomas F. Remington
Cover of the book Brahms and His World by Steven S. Smith, Thomas F. Remington
Cover of the book The Origins of the Urban Crisis by Steven S. Smith, Thomas F. Remington
Cover of the book Syllabus of Errors by Steven S. Smith, Thomas F. Remington
Cover of the book Indeterminacy and Society by Steven S. Smith, Thomas F. Remington
Cover of the book Eclipse of God by Steven S. Smith, Thomas F. Remington
Cover of the book The Hebrew Bible by Steven S. Smith, Thomas F. Remington
Cover of the book A Social Strategy by Steven S. Smith, Thomas F. Remington
Cover of the book Why Can the Dead Do Such Great Things? by Steven S. Smith, Thomas F. Remington
Cover of the book Living Together, Living Apart by Steven S. Smith, Thomas F. Remington
Cover of the book The Formation of Turkish Republicanism by Steven S. Smith, Thomas F. Remington
Cover of the book Corrupted into Song by Steven S. Smith, Thomas F. Remington
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy