M. Steven Fish's Books

Democracy from Scratch

Opposition and Regime in the New Russian Revolution

By: M. Steven Fish

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Democracy from Scratch

Opposition and Regime in the New Russian Revolution

By: M. Steven Fish

This book presents a fresh view of Russian political change in the Gorbachev and early post-Soviet periods not by examining perestroika and glasnost in and of themselves, but by investigating the autonomous political organizations that responded to liberalization. Extensive study of these political groups, in Moscow and several provincial cities, has led M. Steven Fish to conclude that they were shaped to a far greater degree by the nature of the Soviet state than by socioeconomic modernization, political culture, native psychology, or Russian historical tradition. Fish's statist theory of societal change in Russia yields a powerful explanation of why Russia's new political society differs radically not only from the "totalized," sub-jugated country of the pre-1985 period but also from the "civil societies" found in the West and in many developing countries. In addition, the author shows how the legacy of the Soviet experience continues to influence the development--arguably the underdevelopment--of representative political institutions in post-Soviet Russia, making the establishment of stable democracy unlikely in the near term. This book proposes a novel and theoretically sophisticated way to study Russian politics. It offers a rigorous approach to understanding social movements, political party formation, regime change, and democratization in general. While focusing primarily on a single country, it is vigorously comparative at the same time.

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Page Count

313

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1400821541

ISBN 13

9781400821549

Democracy Derailed in Russia

The Failure of Open Politics

By: M. Steven Fish

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Democracy Derailed in Russia

The Failure of Open Politics

By: M. Steven Fish

Why has democracy failed to take root in Russia? After shedding the shackles of Soviet rule, some countries in the postcommunist region undertook lasting democratization. Yet Russia did not. Russia experienced dramatic political breakthroughs in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but it subsequently failed to maintain progress toward democracy. In this book, M. Steven Fish offers an explanation for the direction of regime change in post-Soviet Russia. Relying on cross-national comparative analysis as well as on in-depth field research in Russia, Fish shows that Russia's failure to democratize has three causes: too much economic reliance on oil, too little economic liberalization, and too weak a national legislature. Fish's explanation challenges others that have attributed Russia's political travails to history, political culture, or to 'shock therapy' in economic policy. The book offers a theoretically original and empirically rigorous explanation for one of the most pressing political problems of our time.

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Page Count

466

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1139446851

ISBN 13

9781139446853

Are Muslims Distinctive?

A Look at the Evidence

By: M. Steven Fish

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Are Muslims Distinctive?

A Look at the Evidence

By: M. Steven Fish

Are Muslims Distinctive? represents the first major scientific effort to assess how Muslims and non-Muslims differ--and do not differ--in the contemporary world. Using rigorous methods and data drawn from around the globe, M. Steven Fish reveals that in some areas Muslims and non-Muslims differ less than is commonly imagined. Muslims are not inclined to favor the fusion of religious and political authority or especially prone to mass political violence. Yet there are differences: Gender inequality is more severe among Muslims, Muslims are unusually averse to homosexuality and other controversial behaviors, and democracy is rare in the Muslim world. Other areas of divergence bear the marks of a Muslim advantage: Homicide rates and class-based inequities are less severe among Muslims than non-Muslims. Fish's findings have vital implications for human welfare, interfaith understanding, and international relations.

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Page Count

402

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0199792887

ISBN 13

9780199792887

The Handbook of National Legislatures

A Global Survey

By: M. Steven Fish,Matthew Kroenig

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The Handbook of National Legislatures

A Global Survey

By: M. Steven Fish,Matthew Kroenig

Contains survey-based data on the powers of national legislatures worldwide.

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Page Count

800

Published Date

ISBN 10

0521514665

ISBN 13

9780521514668

Book's by M. Steven Fish

Democracy from Scratch

Democracy from Scratch

Democracy Derailed in Russia

Democracy Derailed in Russia

Are Muslims Distinctive?

Are Muslims Distinctive?

The Handbook of National Legislatures

The Handbook of National Legislatures

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