Based on field research conducted in the Russian regions of Omsk (Western Siberia) Kaluga (Central Russia) and Dolgoprudnyj (Moscow suburb), the dissertation analyses the transformation of local and regional authorities in Russia between 1989 and 1999 within the sociological framework of social actors. The Introduction presents the general context of transformations in post-soviet Russia. The body of the thesis starts with a historical overview of local powers during the Soviet era and the emergence of new political actors during perestroika. The following chapters provide in-depth analysis of the administrative, political, and economic transformation at the local and regional level, and the respective roles of old and new actors. The last chapter examines some ways by which the polity could be reconstructed, given the weakening of representative power. The conclusion takes into account changes that have occurred since 2000 to bring the 1990's in a more general perspective.
