Corruption and Business in Russia: National Problem, Regional Solutions

Event Co-Sponsored with The Center for International Private Enterprise.

There is a perception that it is not possible to do business in Russia without engaging in corruption. While corruption in Russia is a fact of life, individual businesses are employing a range of strategies to reduce their exposure and give them access to international partners. The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and the Kennan Institute present expert findings on this timely issue.

Jordan Gans-Morse, an assistant professor of political science at Northwestern University, presented his research on how non-oligarchic firms are surviving in an atmosphere of endemic corruption. The firms’ coping mechanisms and the means they use to settle business disputes shed light on the course of Russia’s future economic development. Based on extensive field research, Gans-Morse is at work on a book about law, property rights, and corruption in Russia. CIPE Moscow Program Officer Natalya L. Titova spoke on a CIPE initiative in Russia that is helping regional business to meet international anti-corruption standards in order to join international value chains.

During the discussion, the speakers were joined on a panel by CIPE partners from St. Petersburg, Chelyabinsk and Kaliningrad, places where corruption is a significant barrier to attracting investment.