Abstract:
This paper examines the evolution of organized crime and corruption in relation to the Russian economy, focusing on examples from the banking, energy, and mineral-industrial sectors. An historical perspective of Russian organized crime's economic role during the Soviet Union is provided, followed by an examination of the factors which enabled unprecedented economic infiltration during the transition period and privatization. Next this paper provides an assessment of organized criminal influence in three crucial sectors of the Russian economy: banking, mineral-industrial, and energy. Finally, this paper examines current polices and their shortcomings, and provides a series of policy recommendations for lessening the economic influence of organized crime and ensuring the development of a properly functioning market economy in the Russian Federation and a successful integration with the global economy.
