The Political Economy of Russian Aluminium: Between the Dual State and Global Markets PDF
Preview The Political Economy of Russian Aluminium: Between the Dual State and Global Markets
International Political Economy Series The Political Economy of Russian Aluminium Between the Dual State and Global Markets Jakub M. Godzimirski International Political Economy Series Series editor Timothy M. Shaw Visiting Professor University of Massachusetts Boston, USA, and Emeritus Professor at theUniversity of London, UK The global political economy is in flux as a series of cumulative crises impacts its organization and governance. The IPE series has tracked its development in both analysis and structure over the last three dec- ades. It has always had a concentration on the global South. Now the South increasingly challenges the North as the centre of development, also reflected in a growing number of submissions and publications on indebted Eurozone economies in Southern Europe. An indispensable resource for scholars and researchers, the series examines a variety of cap- italisms and connections by focusing on emerging economies, companies and sectors, debates and policies. It informs diverse policy communities as the established trans-Atlantic North declines and ‘the rest’, especially the BRICS, rise. More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/13996 Jakub M. Godzimirski The Political Economy of Russian Aluminium Between the Dual State and Global Markets Jakub M. Godzimirski Norwegian Institute of International Affairs Oslo, Norway International Political Economy Series ISBN 978-3-319-57233-8 ISBN 978-3-319-57234-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-57234-5 Library of Congress Control Number: 2017940598 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover illustration: © Rob Friedman/iStockphoto.com Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland A cknowledgements This book is one of the deliverables of the TIGER project, financed by the Research Council of Norway (RCN). The author is deeply grate- ful—without this funding, this book would not have been written. The aim of the project, with its team of leading Western and Russian experts, has been to shed light on Trade Integration, Geopolitics and the Economy of Russia—thus, ‘TIGER’. The situation of the Russian aluminium sector is analysed within this broader context, with spe- cial attention to the role of Russian aluminium sector in global and regional trade, how its development has been driven by geopolitical fac- tors in a larger historical perspective and its specific role in the broader context of recent economic and political developments in Russia. The project has been coordinated by Dr Arne Melchior of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI); many members of the pro- ject team have given invaluable comments on earlier drafts of the book at project workshops and seminars in Helsinki, Oslo and Moscow. I would like to thank Roman Vakulchuk from NUPI, Nataliya Volchkova and Nataliya Turdeyeva from the Centre for Economic and Financial Research (CEFIR), Aleksander Knobel from the Gaidar Institute IET, Laura Solanko and Heli Simola from the Bank of Finland Institute for Economies in Transition (BOFIT) as well as David Tarr, who has long experience from the World Bank, for useful comments on the book man- uscript and fruitful collaboration within the framework of this fascinating and very timely project. v vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This book could not have been written without the support of many other colleagues. Here I wish to thank my NUPI colleague Indra Øverland, for making funds available as well as for many useful com- ments throughout the process. Also Helge Blakkisrud, Julie Wilhelmsen and Iver B. Neumann from NUPI have been inspirational sparring partners—our conversations on matters Russian have helped me to understand the complexity of the situation in this great and important country. The current form of the book owes very much to Susan Høivik, our long-standing language editor and guide, who has (de)Polished my English and, I hope, made reading these chapters a smoother experi- ence to those at the other end of the book value chain. Also, our NUPI librarians deserve my thanks for helping with access to various types of written sources on Russian and global aluminium industry. Many of the most important texts used in my analysis have been provided by David Johnson through his Johnson’s Russia List (JRL). David’s efforts are indeed Herculean, so he deserves warm thanks from all those working on Russian matters, this author included. We all recognize JRL as an indispensable tool in our daily dealings with Russia—and hope that we will never experience a day without his List. I would also like to express my gratitude to Elena Morenko from UC Rusal, for providing materials on the history of the company and its current situation, during my visit to Moscow in 2016. Also several Norwegian business partners deserve mention here for all the assistance provided over the past 15 years—without their help this book would have never been written. Let me also note my gratitude to Tim Shaw, the editor of the IPE series, who from the very beginning has shown great interest in and support for this book project. Christina Brian and James Safford from Palgrave Macmillan have guided me through the editorial process and shown great support at critical junctures. However, overall responsibil- ity for this volume, and any editorial shortcomings, rests entirely on my shoulders. Finally, I would like to thank my wife Magdalena, for outstanding patience and understanding during the preparation of the final draft of the book. She provided practical support in this hectic period—as she has done ever since we first met, one autumn day in Paris in 1984. Also my children Zuzanna and Jan have met the challenges with understanding and positive attitudes. To all these persons, I extend my warmest thanks. c ontents 1 Introduction 1 Part I Russian Aluminium and Market Forces 2 Basics of the Global Aluminium Market 11 3 Soviet and Russian Aluminium Until 2000 in Brief 29 4 National Consolidation 2000–2007 51 5 Global Consolidation and Challenges 2007–2016 79 Part II Russian Aluminium and Russian Politics 6 Intermezzo or Regional Aluminium Games 119 7 Capture of the Russian State Under Yeltsin? 139 8 Return of the State Under Putin 167 9 Masters of the Russian Aluminium Roulette 211 vii viii CONTENTS 10 Conclusions 261 Index 281 A A bout the uthor Jakub M. Godzimirski has since 2012 been research professor at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs NUPI. Between 1995 and 2012, he served as a senior research fellow at the Centre and Department of Russian and Eurasian Studies at NUPI. In 2009–2010, he was the head of the NUPI Energy Programme, and in 2012–2014, he was the head of the Research Group on European Affairs. In 2014, he returned to the Research Group on Russia, Eurasia and the High North at NUPI. He holds a PhD in social anthropology. His present research interests include Russian and European foreign and security policy, with a focus on energy’s role and Russia’s relations with the West. He has authored, co-authored, edited and co-edited several volumes on these issues, and published many peer-reviewed articles and book chapters with leading academic publishers such as Palgrave Macmillan, Routledge or Ashgate. The most recent of his major publications are Russian Energy in a Changing World. What is the Outlook for the Hydrocarbons Superpower? published in December 2013 with Ashgate and EU leadership in Energy and Environmental Governance? Global and Local Challenges and Responses with Palgrave Macmillan. ix
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