Anarchy in Eastern Europe

An interesting article in The Economist, reviewing 4 new books on Russia. As previously mentioned I find Anders Aslund's empirical accounts of transition appealing, (e.g. here) and in particular his somewhat brief foray into the establishment of the rule of law throughout the region. It seems that for most academics anarchy is automatically associated with chaos and instability, suggesting a lack of exposure to the likes of Ed Stringham, Ben Powell and Pete Leeson who have really pushed forward the anarchy research agenda outlined by the likes of James Buchanan. The lesson I took from Dani Rodrik's Cato Unbound response to Leeson, is that it's an empirical issue. In other words, a green light for genuine research.So it's interesting to see the emerging historical accounts of life in the Russian jungle, and as yet realise that (with the exception of Aslund) it is built on an assumption that this is a bad thing. The question should always be "compared to what?" Compared to Russia, and compared to communism, the most "anarchic" countries seem to be doing pretty well.