Maybe Russia’s Economy Doesn’t Need Democracy

An economist who advises the government says other things hold back growth. Here is an edited version of our conversation: Mark Whitehouse: Almost 20 years ago, before Vladimir Putin came to power, you told me that authoritarian rule was inevitable in Russia. As you put it, “Democracy needs capitalism, but capitalism doesn’t need democracy.” That turned out to be prescient. Now Putin is in the last of his presidential ...