Russia’s Public Policy

1. Russia’s Public Policy By: Eric Lin

2. Outline • Welfare State • Pension Welfare • Education Policy • Poverty Issues • Civil Liberties, Rights, and Freedoms • Environment Policy • Management of Natural Resources • Population and Migration Policies • Population Structure • Population Change • Gender and Ethnicity Policies • Foreign Policy • Economic Policy and Performance

3. Welfare State Pension Welfare • Three component system comprised of basic pension (30%), insurance benefit (60%) and allowances (10%) • After 2010, the basic pillar has been folded into the pay-as-you-go portion of pensions • Early statutory age-60 for men & 55 for women • Pensions/Allowances-9% of GDP Putin named pension-saving policy the BIGGEST social problem facing modern Russia

4. Welfare State (cont.) Education Policy • Ministry of Education and Science regulates Russia Education • Law on Education (1992)-autonomy for local authorities and more objective school curriculum • Education Spending-4.9% of GDP More emphasis on broad fields of study, rather than the USA system of discrete courses

5. Welfare State (cont.) Poverty Issues • Working poor is largest group-66% of poor live in households where at least one adult is employed • Early 1994-system of family allowances was simplified into a single benefit, available to all children • 1994-1995-regional program of social protection was adopted-people below minimum income are priority Stabilization and renewed economic growth are critical for poverty reduction in Russia

6. Civil Liberties, Rights, and Freedoms • In theory, Constitution of Russian Federation guarantees freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association and assembly, freedom to choose language, to vote, for education, etc. • Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations (1997)-restricted new religious groups in registering as religious organizations • January 31, 2010-Russian government’s refusal to grant permission for a peaceful protest in support of freedom in Moscow-violation of Constitution! Russia is ranked “Not Free” in Freedom in the World 2013

8. Environmental Policy • Large percentage of Russia’s urban population is faced with “high” and even “very high” pollution and about 100 million hectares are threatened by desertification • In 2010, Medvedev called for an “improved, consolidated environmental policy”. • Medvedev pointed out that Putin’s laws were isolated and sometimes contradictory-emphasized coherence • Liability for violations of environmental legislation were increased and punishment became inevitable

9. Management of Natural Resources • Dependence on oil exportation-boon or burden? • 2000-Putin's helped stabilize the country by consolidating the energy sector under state control • The government effectively nationalized the majority of the energy sector under three state behemoths: Gazprom, Rosneft and Transneft. • A more rational public opinion of country's natural resources is necessary for promoting private initiative and opening the natural resources industry to international investors

10. Population and Migration Policy • Second largest immigration country after U.S. • In 1992, the Federal Migration Service (FMS) was created in response to the mass movements of people following the collapse of the Soviet Union • In 1993, the laws “On Refugees” and “On Forced Migrants” were adopted • Other changes starting 2006- centralized database for the registration of foreign citizens, cooperating with the European Union in the field of migration • Low population growth: +0.4% • Current population: 8.67 people/sq. km

11. Population Structure

12. Population Changes

13. Gender Policies • Gender Gap - From 1996–1999, only 7.2% of Russia's Federal Assembly were women; only one woman was present in the upper chamber, the Federation Council • Gender equality is not identified as a policy issue at the governmental level; most women worked in low income cultural and educational sectors • The Russian Family Code- shared parental authority; mothers and fathers have equal rights/responsibilities • The Gender Inequality Index is 0.338(59th)

15. Ethnicity Policies • Boris Yeltsin-pragmatic encouragement of self-rule for the leaders of the ethnic republics (ethnic laissez faire) • Conception of the State National Policy of the Russian Federation(1996)-ambiguity of all-powerful unitary state and autonomous ethnic republics • Putin made little progress to clear up the ambiguities in Russian ethnic policy • Putin even tried to restructure state institutions to limit any possibility for using ethnicity to challenge his own political power

16. Foreign Policy • Adopted multidirectional balanced external strategy. • Not only to satisfy Russia’s own ambitions, but also to guarantee world peace and security. • 2000-2004-Completely eradicated intervention of the international terrorism to return Chechnya to the Russian constitutional legal field • 2005-2008-Defending Russian sovereignty • 2006- Russia presided in the G8 throughout the year • 2012-became a member of WTO

17. Economic Policy • Transition from command economy to partial free-market system • Macroeconomic revolution-became one of the largest creditors of U.S. debt in the world. • Tax reform-13% low flat tax rate to encourage hard work. • 1999-2008-Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) was 2.3 to 3 times higher than that of the USA and EU nations.   • The 2008-2009 economic crisis-GDP decreased considerably plummeted by 7.8%. • The economic situation in 2010-2013 - Restoring the dynamics of development with gradual GDP increase • Hugely rely on the oil and gas resources

19. Thank You!

20. Acknowledgement • Mr. Swaney