Cover; Half Title; Title Page; Copyright Page; Contents; List of Tables; Acknowledgments; List of Abbreviations; 1 A Theory of Government Development: Institutional Design and Delegation of Authority; 2 The Late Soviet Period, 1989-1991; 3 Transition to Independence, 1990-1991; 4 Struggling with the Soviet Legacies, 1991-1993; 5 Accommodating to the New Institutional Design, 1994-1995; 6 The End of the Yeltsin Era, 1996-1999; 7 Putin's First Tenure, 2000-2004; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index