Mobilizing Law in Russia

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

The project explores the role of law as a problem-solving strategy in post-Soviet Russia. Surveys have repeatedly confirmed Russians antipathy toward law, but have focused mostly on attitudes rather than behavior. Through a series of focus groups and follow-up interviews, the question of how disputes evolve will be studied. In the first stage of the research, people who have shared experiences (either home repair projects or personal injuries), giving rise to problems that could be redressed by mobilizing law, but could also be redressed through informal means or even ignored, will be brought together to participate in focus groups. The discussion will concentrate on the various stages of the disputing process, probing into the reasons behind the behavioral choices and the respondents? general attitudes regarding the legal system. In the second stage, in-depth ?life history? interviews will be conducted with a subset of the focus group participants. The research will be carried out during the summer of 2008 in Tomsk, Chelyabinsk, and Gregorievsk. Six focus groups will be organized at each site. Half will focus on home repair projects; the other half will focus on personal injuries. The respondents will be divided by age, with one group of people who came of age after the dissolution of the Soviet Union (born after 1970); one group who came of age during the Soviet period (born before 1970); and one mixed group. The goal is to uncover not only what motivates Russians to consult with lawyers and/or file a lawsuit, but also what discourages them from doing so. The results from this research will provide a more accurate picture of Russian legal culture, which will be valuable to policy makers and will contribute to building a theory of how the rule of law evolves.