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Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 June 2020

David Szakonyi
Affiliation:
George Washington University, Washington DC
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Summary

This chapter opens the manuscript with an anecdote about a prominent Russian businessperson politician as well statistical evidence about the breadth of businesspeople working in public office around the world. It then catalogues our extant knowledge of why special interests like firms seek to influence policymaking and the means through which they do so, along the way defining key terms used throughout the manuscript. Next, it introduces the puzzle of businessperson candidacy, contrasting the high financial and time costs required to run for and hold office with our lack of knowledge about the benefits to be had. The chapter then briefly outlines the main arguments and evidence presented in the book and provides a justification for why Russia is a compelling case from which to build theory. In general, businessperson candidacy has received very little if any attention from scholars, especially given how widespread it is; the last section demonstrates how this book fills that gap. The chapter then closes by presenting the contributions the manuscript makes to our understanding of business–government relations, interest group politics, descriptive representation, authoritarian institutions, and the nature of policymaking in transitioning economies.

Type
Chapter
Information
Politics for Profit
Business, Elections, and Policymaking in Russia
, pp. 1 - 29
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Introduction
  • David Szakonyi, George Washington University, Washington DC
  • Book: Politics for Profit
  • Online publication: 15 June 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108869089.001
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Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Introduction
  • David Szakonyi, George Washington University, Washington DC
  • Book: Politics for Profit
  • Online publication: 15 June 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108869089.001
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Introduction
  • David Szakonyi, George Washington University, Washington DC
  • Book: Politics for Profit
  • Online publication: 15 June 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108869089.001
Available formats
×