Effects and side effects of European Union assistance on the former Soviet republics

Since the early 1990s the European Union (EU) has been the largest donor to the post-Soviet states. In the last decade it more than doubled development assistance to the region. One of the major purposes of assistance is human rights promotion. At the same time, it is still an open question whether, and under what conditions, assistance can improve human rights in recipient countries. This study applies time-series cross-section (TSCS) analysis to identify effects of external assistance. Using data from 12 post-Soviet states over 20 years, I show that conditions under which states are more likely to display a positive effect are high state capacity and political conditionality attached to economic cooperation agreements. Whereas, when state capacity is lower, assistance might cause a slight deterioration of the human rights situation. In hybrid regimes, assistance is associated with negative effects, indicating that external assistance might induce deterioration of human rights in such regimes.     

Russian policies on central and eastern Europe: An overview

After the collapse of both the Warsaw Treaty Organisation and the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance in 1990—91 Russia has lost highly effective instruments of (repressive) control of the East European countries and has been left without any significant influence on the economic, political and military developments in the region ever since. This can partly be explained by the deep distrust and emotional reserve vis‐à‐vis Russia on behalf of the new ruling elites in the region. A very important additional factor, however, has been the lack of a clear and coherent Russian strategy on the region in the early years of independent Russian statehood. After the initial loss of importance the region has regained prominence only indirectly as a crucial variable in Russian relations with Western countries and institutions such as NATO, the WEU, and the EU. Though deeper economic and trade relations between Russia and the region seem mutually advantageous, a major rapprochement seems to be blocked by political reservations and considerations.     

制度变迁与经济转轨--对原苏联和东欧10年经济转轨的思考

本文试图从制度变迁的角度探讨原苏联和东欧经济转轨的经验教训.本文对"华盛顿共识"与"后华盛顿共识"的讨论进行评论,认为其理论贡献在于强调了制度在经济转轨中的重要性.本文对制度变迁与经济转轨的相关问题进行了深入探讨,如制度遗产与经济转轨、制度变迁的特点及制度变迁中的最优选择与次优选择等,并指出产权、法治与责任政府是转轨国家取得成功的必要因素.     

Liberalization and Democratization in the Soviet Union and Russia

One of the principal challenges facing political science is understanding and explaining the changes occurring in the Soviet Union/Russia after 1985. This article argues that two concepts taken from the transition to democracy literature, liberalization and democratization, are useful for understanding the dynamics of change in this region. It argues that a policy of liberalization stimulated a process of liberalization, which in turn generated a process of democratization. However, this has not been carried through to its conclusion because of the circumstances prevailing within the political elite and because of the weakness of mass forces favouring a full‐blooded process of democratization.     

意识形态、国家认同与苏联解体

相当多的学者认为意识形态的瓦解导致了苏联的崩溃，但事实上这两者之间并不存在直接的因果关系。由于苏联的国家认同主要建立在马克思主义意识形态基础之上，早期马克思主义的教条化和后期对马克思主义的背离，使官方意识形态不断削弱乃至最终变异，导致人民的国家认同感丧失，苏联作为一个国家才难以为继。     

关于苏联联邦制的再思考

苏联解体这一重大历史事件包括社会主义制度在苏联失败和联邦制国家解体两个方面,即国体和政体两个方面,二者没有必然的联系,不能混淆。苏联法律只给予联邦成员自由脱离的权利而没有规定维护联邦的责任和义务,是导致联邦解体的原因之一。而更深层的原因则是以民族区域自治为基础的联邦制在法律上特化了群体及其权利。     

苏联的图书馆读者服务工作

苏联人崇尚知识，其整体文化素质水平居世界前列。图书馆完善的读者服务工作，推动了苏联人良好阅读习惯的养成，使其积攒了丰厚的文化底蕴。苏联在以法律规范读者利用图书馆的权利和义务的同时，也规定了图书馆必须对读者履行的义务。我国和谐社会的构建，离不开文化的发展与繁荣，更有赖于公民素质的整体提高，苏联的经验很值得我们借鉴，以读者为核心的意识应尽早成为我国图书馆的自觉。     

关于苏联民族和民族主义问题的思考

俄罗斯的民族主义有着悠久的历史传统，它直接产生于俄罗斯民族的特殊发展历程，形成了与西方的民族主义不同的道路和特点，长期以来扮演着与西方文化影响相抗衡的民族精神核心内涵的角色。俄罗斯民族主义的两大支柱——弥赛亚意识和俄罗斯的特殊道路，为俄罗斯民族主义的发展奠定了不可动摇的基石。正是在弥赛亚意识和俄罗斯的特殊发展道路的相互印证、相互作用下，俄罗斯民族主义才得以产生、发展和强化，并且深刻影响着俄罗斯的发展。其中，苏联领导人对待民族问题的态度是一个不容忽视的方面。     

苏联解体的原因与后果

1991年12月8日俄罗斯领导人Б.Н.叶利钦、乌克兰领导人Л.М.克拉夫丘克和白俄罗斯领导人С.С.舒什克维奇签署了别洛韦日协议,导致了苏联的解体;苏联解体是20世纪世界史上最重大的历史事件之一,这大概是大多数历史学家和政治学家对此的一致评价,而其他所有有关苏联解体的原因、后果等问题则一直是激烈争论的对象。     

苏联中国学发展述略

苏联成立后,新兴的苏联中国学研究在承续俄国汉学研究成果的基础上逐渐发展,并步入崭新的苏联中国学阶段.俄国汉学传统与马克思主义传统在十月革命后的逐渐结合,开始孕育出世界上独树一帜的苏联中国学.