Reflections on Legal Reform in Russia

Abstract

The focus of this article is on the intersection of legal and economic reforms in the transition process. The presence of a legal infrastructure that can facilitate market transactions is critica! to the success of economic reforms. But what sorts of institutions are necessary? What kinds of laws are needed in order to establish the «rules of the game» for the market? What kinds of institutions and laws are capable of taking hold in the transition period, given the lack of societal knowledge about th~ market and the deep distrust of the government that built up during the Soviet period? These questions are of practica! importance for the success of the transition in Russia and of theoretical importance in terms of understanding the dynamics of societal change more broadly.