Russian politics is post-communist, but there is little consensus about the nature of the political system that has emerged during the Putin presidency. The chapters of this international collection focus on the issues of interpretation that arise from the political system as a whole, but also on individual institutions such as the presidency and the security police, which some have seen as dominant. Attention is paid to the socioeconomic dimension of political power, the major organised interests, and the industrial magnates that have become known as the 'oligarchs' and the place they occupy in public opinion, the media, and contemporary culture. Putin has certainly enjoyed a remarkable level of popularity over his eight years of office; but the authors of this collection, from various viewpoints, suggest the ruling group as a whole may face an uncertain future.

What Kind of Political Regime Does Russia Have?; H-H.Schröder
The Presidentialization of a Semi-Presidential Regime: The Case of Russia; O.Zaznaev
The Russian Federal Security Service under President Putin; E.Schneider
The Inherent Instability of the Ruling Elite; H.Ticktin
Interest Groups and Economic Reform in Contemporary Russia: Before and After Yukos; A.Yakovlev
The 'Oligarchs' in Russian Mass Consciousness; A.Chepurenko
Are Russia's Oligarchs Scapegoats? Some Empirical Evidence from the Russian Press; J.Fruchtmann
Unintentional Humour in Oligarkh and Antikiller, or How New Are the 'New Russians'?; A.Rogachevsky

STEPHEN WHITE is Professor of International Politics at the University of Glasgow, UK, and a Senior Research Associate in the School of Slavonic and East European Studies. He is the chief editor of the Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics and author or co-author of more than thirty books including Developments in Central and East European Politics 4, Developments in Russian Politics 6, Putin's Russia and the Enlarged Europe, and Party Politics in New Democracies.