Explaining the Use of Russian Courts

Abstract:     
Russians' lack of trust in courts as an institution has been repeatedly documented through public opinion polling. Yet the caseload data show a steady increase in the use of courts by both individuals and firms in Russia. The paper investigates this puzzle through an analysis of survey data. The existing literature assumes that the lack of legitimacy of courts in Russia forestalls use. While confirming the societal disdain for courts, the analysis reveals that this attitude has little effect on behavior. Instead, the use of the courts is driven by a complicated mix of need and capacity. Two publicly-available datasets were used: the EBRD-World Bank Business Environment & Enterprise Performance Survey and the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey, RLMS-HSE.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 52

Keywords: Russia, Courts, Property Rights

JEL Classification: K41, D74, P26, P37

working papers series