The dynamics of the Russian regime: Putin to Medvedev

This research develops an original theoretical framework and empirical insights from a recently completed PhD that analyses the role of the political party United Russia in the emergence of 'dominant-power politics' or 'electoral authoritarianism' in the Putin period (2000-2008). This research challenges existing notions of party dominance and parties as 'key variables' in regime outcomes typically found in comparative literature. This proposed research will update developments from the Putin period to co nsider the Medvedev presidency from 2008 onwards, using this existing framework to highlight the current trajectory of the Russian political system and the development of United Russia and the party system from 2008 to 2011. Although this research is uniq ue in the sense that it engages with United Russia and the regime in a way that no other research has done so far, the Putin period is a fairly well researched subject in the field of Russian politics. However, the Medvedev period is a largely unknown qua ntity, with a great deal of assumption that this period simply represents an extension of Putin's politics. This is despite the fact that Medvedev recently launched his own 'modernisation' project, while the (ongoing) financial crisis that surfaced in Rus sia in 2009 marks one of the most significant challenges to the post-Yeltsin political order since its inception. As a result, this research will provide much-needed detail on the Medvedev presidency, as well as larger regime questions, of value to Russia watchers and policy makers alike.