Category Archives: Business

Strategic Sectors Law Update – Draft Amendments and First Meeting of 2011

Posted on March 30, 2011 by

Strategic Sectors Law Amendments On February 17, the Russian government submitted amendments to the Strategic Sectors law.  The only substantive change the amendments address is the ownership issue I covered here – i.e., that the law currently applies to any … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Foreign direct investment, foreign investment, Government of Russia, Law, legal update, legislation, moscow, oligarchs, PM Putin, Putin, reform, reserves, russia, Russian economy, strategic industries, Vladimir Putin | 1 Comment

Tip of the Spear – Can Big Business Battle Corruption in Russia?

Posted on March 26, 2011 by

Last year, there was a minor stir in the Russian and Western press when major European/American businesses and business associations involved in Russia signed an integrity pact pledging not to pay bribes in that country.  Many were skeptical at the … Continue reading →

Posted in anti-corruption legislation, bribery, bureaucracy, Business, Business and Economy, compliance, corruption, fcpa, Foreign direct investment, foreign investment, RECA

Truth or Consequences – IKEA as a Case Study of Russia’s Miserable Investment Climate

Posted on October 8, 2010 by

Earlier this year I wrote about IKEA’s corruption problems in Russia.  Two senior managers were fired after Swedish media reported that the managers had approved a bribe payment by their general contractor in order to obtain electricity service for a … Continue reading →

Posted in bribery, bribes, bureaucracy, Business, Business and Economy, corruption, Economic development, Foreign direct investment, foreign investment, IKEA, officials, russia, Russian economy | 3 Comments

What’s Wrong with Russia – Part I – Infrastructure

Posted on September 16, 2010 by

[Note: this the first in a series of posts covering what are, in my opinion, the most significant examples of 'what is wrong with Russia]. I’m not starting with the subject of infrastructure because it is necessarily the most significant … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Business and Economy, corruption, Economic development, economics, Foreign direct investment, foreign investment, Government of Russia, infrastructure, russia, Russian economy | 9 Comments

Behold! The New Russian Smartphone

Posted on September 15, 2010 by

Medvedev: “I can’t even tell where to press.” Chemezov: “It is still a prototype.” Medvedev: “But this is entirely our product, which will be produced in our factories?” Chemezov: “For now, unfortunately, we will only be able to make it … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Business and Economy, Chemezov, Dmitry Medvedev, Economic development, economics, Foreign direct investment, foreign investment, goskorporatsii, krysha, Medvedev, President Medvedev, Rostekhnologii, russia, Russian economy, siloviki, state corporations | 3 Comments