The political system that Vladimir Putin established during
the first decade of the 2000s is often referred to as ‘the power vertical’. The
term suggests a stable, streamlined and effective centre-led system. Yet, this
image does not quite correspond with Russian reality. The system creates
inefficiency, encourages corruption and is hostile towards bottom-up political
initiative.
The current leadership acknowledges that Russian stability is
on shaky ground and therefore the system is in need of modernization. The
economy is clearly a priority for the leadership: it believes that the political
system’s modernization should emerge gradually and in a highly controlled
fashion from economic achievements.
The current system in Russia is hostile to innovation and
prone to corruption and therefore Medvedev’s modernization plan is unlikely to
succeed unless transparency and open competition within the system are
considerably enhanced. This will be difficult to achieve because the elite
benefits from the current corrupt and non-transparent system where the lines of
responsibility are unclear.
The West should not expect dramatic changes and radical
liberal reforms in Russia. Western actors should, nevertheless, actively support
and encourage economic and political reforms in the country and engage with it
through international cooperation on specific issues such as anti-corruption
policy. By stepping up its engagement with Russia, the West can demonstrate that
a prosperous, competitive and modern Russia is also in the interests of the
West.