Tackling space : federal politics and the Russian North / edited by Helge Blakkisrud, Geir Hønneland.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Hønneland, Geir.

Blakkisrud, Helge.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Central-local government relations.

Russia, North--Politics and government.

Russia, North.

Russia (Federation)--Politics and government--1991-.

Russia (Federation).

Politics and government.

Central-local government relations--Russia, North.

Physical Description:

x, 210 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham, MD : University Press of America, [2006]

Summary:

The North is intrinsic to the way most outsiders imagine Russia: snow, long winters and the endless Siberian forests. Indeed, about 70 percent of the country's territory is defined as belonging to the North. These inhospitable-tracts contain immense natural wealth, and large cities were constructed in Soviet times to supply the labor force for extraction industries.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Russian North has become both a burden and an asset. It is overdeveloped, with its now obsolete mono-industrial towns, and underdeveloped, with its still largely untapped natural resources. Today's Russian authorities face the challenge of developing a new Northern policy adapted to the realities of the 21st century.

With its expert contributions from political science, economics, geography, and anthropology, this book represents the first comprehensive study in the Western literature of federal politics towards the Russian North. In addition to mapping the scope for federal governance, it covers such important issue areas as infrastructure development, natural resource management, environmental affairs, and policies towards indigenous peoples.

Contents:

Map of the Russian North xi

1 The Russian North-an Introduction / Helge Blakkisrud, Geir Honneland 1

2 What's to be done with the North? / Helge Blakkisrud 25

3 Economic Geography: Dispersion and Centralization / Per Botolf Maurseth 53

4 Transport Infrastructure: Continued Federal Involvement in the North / Claes Lykke Ragner 79

5 Whose Fish: Federal Property or Northern Asset? / Geir Honneland 107

6 Hydrocarbon Resources and Northern Development / Valeriy Kryukov, Arild Moe 125

7 The Ups and Downs of Environmental Governance / Geir Honneland, Jorgen Holten Jorgensen 143

8 The Evolution of Federal Indigenous Policy in the Post-Soviet North / Indra Overland, Helge Blakkisrud 163

9 The Burden and Blessing of Space / Helge Blakkisrud, Geir Honneland 193.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0761833250

OCLC:

63190968