United Russia and the dominant-party framework: understanding the Russian party of power in comparative perspective

Abstract

Almost a decade after its creation, and despite its unequivocal status as a force in Russian party politics, United Russia has received relatively little direct research. For a number of reasons, a comparative approach seems a logical next step, with what may be termed a ‘dominant-party framework’ as an obvious choice to guide further research. While recent literature has focused on United Russia's development in the regions, providing valuable clues as to how dominant parties are formed, this article assesses the ability of the dominant-party framework to elaborate the kind of functions the party performs. This article argues that any exploration of party dominance in Russia that focuses solely on the party system as the unit of analysis misses important differences that exist between dominant parties and risks conflating party system dominance with political system dominance. By engaging with the party as the unit of analysis, in particular party origins, we gain a fuller appreciation of United Russia's brand of ‘weak’ dominance, as well as some of the challenges for comparative research in the future.