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Why things are never quite as simple in practice: opportunities for creating a system of social dispute resolution in Russia
Author(s) -
Jacobs Colin
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
public administration and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1099-162X
pISSN - 0271-2075
DOI - 10.1002/pad.220
Subject(s) - commission , context (archaeology) , face (sociological concept) , political science , public administration , theme (computing) , civil society , public relations , sociology , law , politics , social science , paleontology , computer science , biology , operating system
The article explores four themes based on my participation in the inception phase of a DFID‐funded project in Russia. The first is to assess the role of technical assistance in providing new models for social development and institutional change. What obstacles and difficulties do donors face in introducing changes in practices, which are comparatively new in their own countries? The second theme is the degree to which external changes put pressure on governments to legislate in favour of vulnerable groups. In this case the break‐up of the Soviet Union and subsequent impoverishment of large sectors of society provide the context. Third, the article examines the potential for change through the setting up of a ‘Conflict Commission’ in the pilot region of Samara oblast . Here, there is a comparatively supportive environment with evidence of a shared commitment by the state, their services and civil society. An outstanding and challenging question for this experiment is the degree to which this shared axis for change can become the basis for wider legal reform at the federal level. The article will finally consider the role of monitoring and evaluation in a pilot project. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.