Lainsäädäntö ja taistelu luonnonvarojen hallinnasta Venäjällä

The governance of natural resources has been a debatedissue during the Russian transformation. Thisarticle focuses on institutional change in governingRussian natural resources by applying DouglassNorth’s concept of path-dependency to explain thedevelopment of Russian legislation. Since all naturalresources were state-owned in the Soviet Union, thefirst severe conflict over resources did not breakout between private and state owners, but betweenthe federal centre and its regions (subjects of thefederation). An authoritarian approach to power,combined with the threat of the federation comingapart gradually, gave the federal centre a totalvictory over the regions. After Russian state-ownedcompanies were privatised, enriching a small groupof Russian oligarchs, the pressure to allow privateownership of natural resources has become moreintense. This struggle causes constant changes inlegislation and leads to ambiguity and insecurity inproperty rights. The ambiguity of Russian legislationon natural resources, as well as its strict andrepressive nature, gives unofficial institutions themain role in enforcement, especially in softening andrationalising the harsh effects of the law