Theories of Democracy in Comparison: The Russian Case. Output-oriented Legitimacy, Defect Democracy, Political Culture, Path Dependence and Public Opinion

Tesis (Bachelor) , 2013 , 82 Páginas , Calificación: 1,3

Política - Región: Rusia

Russia is an enigma. In the western hemisphere, respectively the countries of the European Union and USA, it produces a lot of suspicion and resentments. Its vast spatial dimensions, in terms of size; its controversial history and its stubborn focus on sovereignty, when it comes to foreign policy and the international community, are the most prominent sources for difficulties of understanding. In addition, the Russian people liketo sustain a hint of mystery themselves, in claiming that no other nationality can understand them. Apart from stereotypes and prejudices about typical Russian people and characteristics, there are a handful of assumptions one encounters that cling to public opinion about Russia’s political landscape:

(1) Political opposition does not exist, civic opposition is marginalised.
(2) The independence of the judiciary system is a façade and de facto does not effectively monitor the executive.
(3) The Soviet imprint on Russian people led to a mentality of subordination, inflexibility and obedience to any kind of authority.
(4) The Russian media are corrupted and controlled by the Kremlin.
(5) Putin only won the election due to massive vote manipulation.

In line with the mentioned assumptions, Western media coverage tends to be polemic and jaundiced. As Russia is perceived as a watchdog of Sovereignty in the international community and in that sense with a tendency to veto humanitarian missions , criticism is very easily formulated.

This work will treat the Russian political system as a contemporary phenomenon. Let us assume all of those assumptions are held true; why does the Russian population still accept those deficits? The fact that the circumstances can be that unpromising, and not many people try tochange something, leaves many spectators speechless. Where does the popular support of society for President Putin come from? What is the source of stability? Why were the civil opposition movements in 2012/2013 mostly ignored by the majority? What are the reasons for the lack of proneness to protest? Do Russians perceive the political system differently; do they maybe put another focus? Or do they simply fear oppression?

The central question, which will be answered, consequently reads "Why does the Russian population supports Putin’s political system and regime?"

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• Introduction
• State of Affairs
• Hypothesis
• Structure
• Theory
• Democracy
• A western view on the concept of democracy: Robert Dahl's Polyarchy
• Legitimacy
• Glaser: Three-Criteria Theory
• Scharpf: Dimensions of Legitimation
• Lippmann: Public Opinion
• Path Dependence
• Berg-Schlosser: Input/Output-Dualism and indicators of Democracy
• Case Study Russia
• State of Inquiry
• Result 1: "The Russian Political System is defect and dysfunctional"
• Result 2: "A majority of Russians support President Putin's presidency"
• Result 3: “Russians are in favour of democracy, respect democratic values and hope for further democratization”
• Contradiction: Russians are fully aware of the intrinsic systemic dysfunctions and undemocratic inconsistencies, and support President Putin, although they yearn for democracy
• Russian Peculiarities
• Presidential legacy
• Russian path dependence: The Trauma Path
• Dubin: Dimensions of Identity - The Personal-Social Gap
• Explaining the contradiction
• The Triple-S Pattern (S3P)
• Stability
• Security
• Sovereignty
• Legitimation through SP
• Lippmann's tools of Public Opinion shaping in the Russian context
• Huntington's Development Theory and Institutionalization
• Results and further Research
• Summary of Results
• S3P applied to the Pussy Riot incident
• Reflection and free Association
• Is Democracy promotion a form of Paternalism?
• Annex
• Bibliography
• Index of graphics, charts and images
• Statutory Declaration

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte

This thesis aims to analyze the apparent contradiction between the Russian public's support for President Putin and their simultaneous desire for a more democratic system. It examines the Russian case through the lens of various theoretical frameworks, including output-oriented legitimacy, defect democracy, political culture, path dependence, and public opinion. The thesis seeks to explain this contradiction by exploring the interplay of these factors in the Russian context.

• The concept of democracy and its application in the Russian context
• The role of legitimacy in maintaining political stability and the different dimensions of legitimacy
• The influence of public opinion on political decision-making and the shaping of public opinion in Russia
• The impact of path dependence on the development of political institutions and the Russian experience of historical trauma
• The relationship between security, stability, and sovereignty in the Russian political system

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel

The introduction provides an overview of the research question, hypothesis, and structure of the thesis. It highlights the apparent contradiction between the Russian public's support for President Putin and their desire for a more democratic system. The chapter also discusses the theoretical frameworks that will be used to analyze this contradiction.

The second chapter delves into the theoretical framework of the thesis, exploring the concept of democracy, legitimacy, public opinion, path dependence, and the input/output dualism of democracy. It examines different theories of democracy, including Robert Dahl's polyarchy, and explores various dimensions of legitimacy, including Glaser's three-criteria theory and Scharpf's dimensions of legitimation. The chapter also discusses Lippmann's theory of public opinion and its relevance to the Russian context.

The third chapter focuses on the case study of Russia, examining the state of inquiry regarding the Russian political system. It presents three key findings: the Russian political system is defect and dysfunctional, a majority of Russians support President Putin's presidency, and Russians are in favor of democracy, respect democratic values, and hope for further democratization. The chapter then explores the contradiction between these findings, highlighting the Russian public's awareness of systemic dysfunctions and their simultaneous support for President Putin.

The fourth chapter delves into the explanation of the contradiction between the Russian public's support for President Putin and their desire for a more democratic system. It introduces the Triple-S Pattern (S3P), which emphasizes the importance of stability, security, and sovereignty in the Russian political system. The chapter explores how these factors contribute to the legitimacy of the regime and how they are used to shape public opinion. It also discusses Huntington's development theory and its relevance to the Russian context.

Schlüsselwörter

The key words and focus themes of the text include output-oriented legitimacy, defect democracy, political culture, path dependence, public opinion, stability, security, sovereignty, and the Russian case. The thesis examines the apparent contradiction between the Russian public's support for President Putin and their simultaneous desire for a more democratic system, exploring the interplay of these factors in the Russian context.

• Universidad: Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg (Institute for Political Sciences)
• Curso: Theories of Democracy
• Calificación: 1,3
• Autor: Jonas Wolterstorff (Autor)
• Año de publicación: 2013
• Páginas: 82
• No. de catálogo: V281667
• ISBN (Ebook): 9783656756125
• ISBN (Libro): 9783656756132
• Idioma: Inglés
• Etiqueta: Russia, Putin, Defect Democracy, Legitimacy, Public Opinion, Path Dependence, Polyarchy, Russian Soul, Sovereignty, Stability, Security, Enigma, Soviet Culture, Political Culture