What Is Causing the Drift Toward Centralization?
So let me go on to very quickly talk about a couple of other questions. First of all, what’s causing this drift toward greater centralization and concentration of power on the one hand and restrictions on individual freedoms? And secondly to speculate just a little bit about what conceivably might reverse those trends or slow them down. On the first question, why is Putin doing this, why is he trying to centralize power and reduce individual freedoms, the short answer is, I don’t know. But I am struck by the level of confusion among his advisors, especially those on the economically liberal side, about the latest proposals. They don’t seem to know exactly where this is coming from. It’s hard to understand why Putin would want to make himself personally responsible for every pothole in Vladivostok and every pension check in Pskov that doesn’t get delivered on time. But that’s the effect of these policies, establishing this vertical line of authority right down to the local level will ma
