In 2006 the CIPE supported Saratov Regional business advocacy coalition made up of business associations, the local chamber of commerce, and other business activist groups took part in a state tender for development and promotion of the Saratov regional anticorruption program. The plan put forth by the coalition included creation of an expert council of legal experts representing the coalition, that would analyze draft local laws and regulations for potenial corruption mechanisms. The experts would analyze existing local laws that reportedly lead to corruption and suggest ways to improve those laws.
The Saratov coalition won the tender and was awarded the contract, and on December 29, 2006 the Saratov regional law “On Opposing Corruption in the Saratov region” was adopted. Now the local government is ready for the expert council to begin its work, and the council has created a list of laws that it intends to anaylse.
This is a clear example of how civil society can still make a change to solve one of the most pressing problems in Russia. While several years ago, disparate business groups in a community like Saratov’s took the model of competition too much to heart and would not join forces to defeat a common problem. Now, through coalition building efforts and collective action on serious local problems, the business community is growing stronger and recruiting the help of more business actors in the region. The media is showing great interest in how the business community is solving problems like these, and for a few moments in saratov, one might think (s)he is operating in a free society where citizens engage local bureacrats on solving the top issues of the day.
This step in solving corruption in Saratov is exciting and I think the government will actually listen. The key ingredient to this formula is that the business community is not just throwing stones at the government. They are pointing out failures in the free market system, but backing that criticism up with information about how to solve the problem. Essentially, they are doing the bureacrats’ jobs for them and they are more than happy to let the bureaucrats take credit. In the end, this is a win-win situation for everyone, but hopefully more regional administrations will recognize that civil society does have a constructive role to play in making Russia stronger.
Published Date: October 19, 2007