CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2007
| Author | Zabanova, Yana Nikolayevna |
|---|---|
| Title | ENERGY AS A CONTESTED DOMAIN: EXPLAINING RUSSIA'S POLICY TOWARD FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT IN THE ENERGY SECTOR |
| Summary | This thesis focuses on Russia’s policy toward foreign direct investment in the energy sector. The research sets out to explain why, in the presence of an objective need for FDI in the Russian energy sector, Russia’s policy toward FDI has not been sufficiently supportive, but has rather been fraught with reversals and inconsistencies. In answering this question, I depart from the view of the Russian government as a unitary actor and instead stress the contested nature of the policy and the multiplicity of actors influencing its formulation. Incorporating such theoretical approaches as Segbers’ “patchwork of actors” and North’s neo-institutionalism, the work analyzes the legal basis for FDI regulation, official discourses on the subject, and statistical data on the sector’s performance. The work also focuses on Russia’s large energy corporations and the internal politics within the federal-level executive branch, as well as on the relationship between the two. The research findings show that the policy on FDI in the energy sector lacks coherency due to its nature as the outcome of the struggle of conflicting interests, with the siloviki faction and Gazprom being the most influential ones. Additionally, I find that the energy sector is affected by a complex interplay of Soviet legacies and globalizing pressures. Therefore, the analysis of Russia’s policy toward FDI should take into account not only its formal legal basis, but also the impact of informal institutions. In conclusion, the thesis discusses the implications of the findings for Russia’s future development prospects. |
| Supervisor | Csaba, Laszlo |
| Department | International Relations MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2007/zabanova_yana.pdf |
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