Introduction: Putting Administrative Reform in a Broader Context of Power
In: The Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, Volume 24, Issue 1, p. 1-16
An introduction to a special issue on, "Models of Power Relationships in Post-Soviet Societies," maintains that reforms in the former socialist countries of Eastern Europe have not produced the desired results. Reform plans failed to pay enough attention to institutions & organizations that serve as mechanisms to enforce political, economic, & social rules/norms. Formal & informal institutions in which the state apparatus is embedded are examined, along with models of power that structure relationships between state servants, citizens, businesses, & foreign governments. Special attention is given to the outcomes of administrative reform in Russia & Ukraine. Five attributes of power are addressed: purpose; self-justification; asymmetry; absence of feed-back loops; & violent techniques for imposing will. Benefits & difficulties related to comparative research & an inter-disciplinary approach are discussed. The essays in this special issue are based on papers presented at the first meeting of an international network of scholars/experts from various social science disciplines held in August 2006 at Memorial U in St. John's, Newfoundland. A synopsis of each contribution is included. Figures. J. Lindroth