Russian Leviathan through the Prism of the Modified Conception of “Narrow Corridor”

Abstract

The concept of «narrow corridor» by D. Acemoglu and J. Robinson, which explains the relationship between political development and economic prosperity, launched a wide discussion in foreign and Russian scientific literature. During it a number of critical remarks were made, which our work is devoted to overcome. The premise of recognizing Leviathan's heterogeneity is proposed as the directions for the development of the concept. Also, the factors that limit the «ultimate boundaries» of his power in the vertical and horizontal dimensions: technological progress (including in the field of information transfer) and the complication of political organization are proposed. To demonstrate the advantages of the modified model, we consider a specific case of the development of Russian statehood through the prism of the concept.