The Potential For Autonomous Regional Development in Russia: The Case of Primorskiy Kray

Abstract

A detailed study of Primorskiy Kray in the Russian Far East is used to investigate the extent to which current regional development and economic reform in Russia is imposed from above by the center vis-a-vis internally generated, based on local resources and initiatives. In the process, it provides an interesting exposition of how unique local factors are interwoven within center-periphery disputes over resource ownership and revenue sharing. A wide range of factors impinging upon the kray's capacity for autonomous development is surveyed—the situation within specific economic sectors, opportunities for cross-border trade, sources of budgetary income and expenditure, and local politics. 7 tables, 50 references.