SOCIAL REFORMS IN RUSSIA IN THE 1990S AND 2000S: IDEOLOGIES, STRATEGIES AND POLITICAL FACTOR ANDREY STARODUBTSEV ALEKSANTERI INSTITUTE (UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI)

MULTIPLE STREAMS FRAMEWORK

PROBLEMS Poverty (%)11.7 (-) 31.5 (36.9) 22.1 (43.2) 28.4 (41.5) 29 (35.9) 24.6 (19.6) Unemployment (%) Inequality (Gini coefficient) Source: Linda Cook, p. 81

FREEDOM IN RUSSIA

POLITICS: ELECTORATE Presidential Elections 1991 (I)1996 (II)2000 (I)2004 (I) A Reformer57,353,8252,9471,31 Opposition16,8540,3129,2113,69 Parliamentarian Elections Reformers15,5110,1323,3237,56 Opposition12,4022,3024,4912,61

POLITICS OF REFORMS PeriodCharacteristics Anti-reformist parliament Extremely poor economic and social situation Gaidar’s economic reforms

POLITICS OF REFORMS PeriodCharacteristics Anti-reformist parliament Extremely poor economic and social situation Gaidar’s economic reforms Pro-presidential parliament Extremely poor economic and social situation Progress in economic reforms

POLITICS OF REFORMS PeriodCharacteristics Anti-reformist parliament Extremely poor economic and social situation Gaidar’s economic reforms Pro-presidential parliament Extremely poor economic and social situation Progress in economic reforms Anti-reformist parliament Economic stabilization in 1996 – 1997 Financial crises in 1998 – 1999 Attempts to reform a social policy

PROGRAM 1996 – 2000: CONTEXT “Generally speaking, the situation in the social sphere can be characterized as ambiguous and contradictory. Along with some positive impacts, many negative things has been stagnating, some social problems were compounded and are serious threats to social and economic stability of our society”.

PROGRAM 1996 – 2000: GOALS 1.achieve real improvement in the living conditions of people; 2.ensure effective employment; to improve the quality and competitiveness of the labor forces; 3.guarantee the constitutional rights of citizens in the spheres of labor, social welfare, education, health care, culture and housing; 4.reorient social policy to family, to ensure the rights and social guarantees for family, women, children and young people; 5.normalize and improve the demographic situation, to reduce mortality, especially among children and working-age citizens; 6.significantly improve the social infrastructure.

POLITICS OF REFORMS PeriodCharacteristics Anti-reformist parliament Extremely poor economic and social situation Gaidar’s economic reforms Pro-presidential parliament Extremely poor economic and social situation Progress in economic reforms Anti-reformist parliament Economic stabilization in 1996 – 1997 Financial crises in 1998 – 1999 Attempts to reform a social policy Pro-presidential parliament Stabilization and improvement… Implementation of a set of reforms

STRATEGY 2010: CONTEXT “Unlike all previous periods a fundamentally different situation has been created in the country. It opens a window of opportunity to resolve the main Russian problems. Today, the political situation has stabilized, there is a revival of economy…” “Instead of the welfare state (paternalism) and the privatization of social functions (radical liberalism) subsidiary state is created. It provides social guarantees to the extent to which a society cannot do this itself”

STRATEGY – 2010: GOALS 1.provide effective protection of vulnerable households; 2.ensure universal access and socially acceptable quality of basic social benefits, in particular – health care and education; 3.create an economic environment that provides a higher level of social consumption for working-age population at their own expense and decent standard of living for older people; 4.create social institutions that provide mobilization of funds of population and private companies and, as a result, ensure a high quality of social services.

POLITICS OF REFORMS PeriodCharacteristics Anti-reformist parliament Extremely poor economic and social situation Gaidar’s economic reforms Pro-presidential parliament Extremely poor economic and social situation Progress in economic reforms Anti-reformist parliament Economic stabilization in 1996 – 1997 Financial crises in 1998 – 1999 Attempts to reform a social policy Pro-presidential parliament Stabilization and improvement… Implementation of a set of reforms …Pro-presidential parliament Rejection of “liberal” social reforms Populist policy