Networks, cronies and business plans: Business-state relations in Russia

Abstract

My aim in this chapter is to characterize more precisely the relations between the central state and big business in Russia. The questions addressed are: is the central Russian state a unitary actor in its dealings with business, or is the notion of rival ‘clans’ or networks closer to the mark? Have people in the state apparatus been seeking to place more assets in state ownership in general or to ensure that trusted magnates will control assets in the interests of particular groups of politicians, or is there some mix of these objectives across sectors and across factions?.