The 2014 Sochi Olympic mega-project and Russia's political economy

AbstractThis article examines Russia's political economy through the prism of mega-projects, using the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics as a case study. Such projects help Russia's leaders promote the country's image abroad, define development priorities for Russia's urban landscape, and gain support for the incumbent regime. Events like the Olympics help to justify Russia's overall political and economic systems and to funnel state resources to specific regions. By setting investment goals and implementing projects through a closed system that allows for little public input and accountability, mega-projects create numerous corruption opportunities. Ultimately, this system works to benefit a small group of elites, with uncertain contributions to the larger population.Keywords: RussiaOlympicsmega-projectscorruptionpolitical economy Notes on contributorsRobert W. Orttung is an Associate Research Professor of International Affairs at The George Washington University and a Visiting Fellow at the Center for Security Studies of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich. Sufian Zhemukhov is a Visiting Fellow at The George Washington University's Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies.