Environmentally Unfavorable Areas in Russian Law and Post-Soviet Space

Abstract

The article suggests a new view on the issues of protection of environmental human rights in environmentally unfavorable areas. A diversity of approaches in Russia and republics of the former USSR granted a special legal status to areas which caused environmental harm due to natural disasters and manmade disasters, In addition, ineffective environmental policies allowed hazardous industries to pollute the environment for many years. New environmental legal solutions must be developed and implemented in developing countries with the active assistance of the international community to ensure environmental human rights on a global rather than national scale. The new proposed legal requirements should focus on the most environmentally impaired areas based on utilizing specific classifications and criteria.     

Public Administration Research in Contemporary Russia: An Analysis of Journal Publications, 2010–2014

This study examines the latest tendencies in Russian research on public administration (2010–14) as it appears in Russian academic journals. The study considers the subjects of articles, their methodological features, and the characteristics of contributors. Revealing problems in public administration research in Russia contributes both to the development of Russian science and to the ongoing international discussion regarding the need for better research on public administration and state policy. By drawing attention to the shortcomings and weaknesses of Russian public administration research, the study is meant to advance the current discussion on ways to strengthen the quality of policy research around the world.     

An Empirical Examination of Partnership Frequency and Design within International Nongovernmental Organizations (INGOs)

Despite the increase in public and nonprofit partnerships, there is little understanding of the organizational factors associated with partnership frequency and design. Through negative binomial and multinomial logistic regressions, this study analyzes data from interviews with 149 leaders of international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs), to first examine partnership frequency, and to then examine the formation of different partnerships structures: principal-based partnerships, agent-based partnerships, and shared power-based partnerships. The findings suggest that improving results and increasing funding are the primary goals of partnership adoption, and that the most management intensive forms of partnerships are only adopted when INGOs have sufficient organizational capacity.     

Concept of “Semi-Protected Natural Areas” in Environmental Law of Russia and in the Post-Soviet Space: Discussion Questions

The article proves that environmental law of Russia and the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) includes a rather wide legal category, which the authors suggest calling “semi-protected natural areas”. It contains land plots, which occupy an intermediate position between common lands and specially protected natural areas (wetlands, water-protective zones, soils included in the Red Data Book of Soils, wilderness areas), as well as between common lands and ecological disaster zones (sanitary protection zones). Further doctrinal research and normative consolidation of this category will allow improving the legal regime of these areas, including existing restrictions and bans in the field of economic and other activity, filling existing legal gaps, forming a more adequate system for counteracting modern environmental threats, including expanding the arsenal of legal means in the field of protection of the environment.