 Gulnaz Sharafutdinova, When Do Elites Compete? The Determinants of Political Competition in Russian Regions What factors determine the propensity of Russia¡¯s regions to evolve in a more or less competitive direction? Variables, tested statistically with data from gubernatorial elections between 1991 and 2002, include federal status, ethnic composition, learning effect in electoral politics, social and economic development, and federal political context. Federal status and federal political context had a significant impact on the levels of political competitiveness in the regions. As numerous observers noted, republics tended to have lower levels of electoral competition than other regions from 1991 to 1999. A major shift in levels of political competitiveness in the regions in 2000–2002 resulted from policies introduced by President Putin. |