Russia, A Long View

Resumen del libro

It is not so easy to take the long view of socioeconomic history when you are participating in a revolution. For that reason, Russian economist Yegor Gaidar put aside an early version of this work to take up a series of government positions--as Minister of Finance and as Boris Yeltsins acting Prime Minister--in the early 1990s. In government, Gaidar shepherded Russia through its transition to a market economy after years of socialism. Once out of government, Gaidar turned again to his consideration of Russias economic history and long-term economic and political challenges. This book, revised and updated shortly before his death in 2009, is the result.

Gaidars account of long-term socioeconomic trends puts his country in historical context and outlines problems faced by Russia (and other developing economies) that more developed countries have already encountered: aging population, migration, evolution of the system of social protection, changes in the armed forces, and balancing stability and flexibility in democratic institutions.
This is not a memoir, but, Gaidar points out, neither is it 'written from the position of a man who spent his entire life in a research institute.' Gaidars 'long view' is inevitably informed and enriched by his experience in government at a watershed moment in history.