In the wake of the USSR’s breakup, the eighty-nine constituent subjects of the Russian Federation emerged as political players, grasping power for local policies from a weakened central authority and electing the legislators who have altered the complexion of the central government. Beyond the Monolith examines the impact of Russia’s emerging regionalism on the political, economic, and social transformation of the largest of the successor states of the Soviet Union.

The authors explore significant variations and similarities between different provinces; the development of federalism in Russia; the effectiveness of local government; the power relationships between the center and the regions; the differential impact of privatization outside Moscow and St. Petersburg; and the role of environmental, public health, and labor market factors in regional economies.

Introduction: Russian Regionalism in Post-Soviet Society
Peter J. Stavrakis

I. The Historical Setting
1. Center-Periphery Relations in Historical Perspective: State Administration in Russia
Don K. Rowney

II. Politics
2. The Development of Federalism in Russia
Joan DeBardeleben
3. Electoral Behavior and Attitudes in Russia: Do Regions Make a Difference or Do Regions Just Differ?
Joan DeBardeleben and Aleksander A. Galkin
4. At the Bottom of the Heap: Local Self-government and Regional Politics in the Russian Federation
John F. Young

III. Economic Reform and Social Change
5. Regional Aspects of Privatization in Russia
Darrell Slider
6. Labor Institutions in Post-Communist Russia: The Rise of Regionalism
Carol Clark
7. The Regionalization of Russia's Economy and Its Impact on the Environment and Natural Resources
D. J. Peterson
8. Health in Russia: The Regional and National Dimensions
Mark G. Field

IV. Ethnic Perspectives
9. From the Outside Looking In: Armenians in Western Siberia
Cynthia Buckley
10. A Tale of Two Villages: A Comparative Study of Aboriginal-State Relations in Russia and Canada
Greg Poelzer
11. The Tatarstan Model: A Situational Dynamic
Nail Midkhatovich Moukhariamov

Conclusion: Democracy and Federalism in the Former Soviet Union and the Russian Federation
Robert V. Daniels

“The volume edited by Stavrakis, DeBardeleben, and Black is particularly recommended. It identifies many of the things that need to happen in Russia before relations between centre and regions begin to favour economic recovery and democratic accountability.”—Philip Hanson, International Affairs