What went wrong in Russia? A group of leading young scholars answer this question through a theoretically informed, in-depth analysis of the Yeltsin era. They challenge explanations that stress the constraints of history and concentrate instead on the importance of elite decisions and political institutions. The authors agree that elite inattention to institution building has been a central problem of Russia's postcommunist transition. The weakness of the state and its institutions has contributed to a number of serious problems threatening democratic consolidation.