Russian economy slumps further in 2Q
Published: 11 August, 2009, 20:17
2Q data showed Russia's economy is contracting rapidly - while other emerging markets are recovering. The President says its time to change the economic structure, while analysts look for more infrastructure spending.
Count Cash is correct. It is corruption in Russia as well as many emerging economy countries that are limiting their ability to grow in any meaningful way. Until the rule of law, encluding business law, is strictly enforced, businesses will not have an environment conducive to success. The problem in most of these countries is that corruption is prevalent at all levels. Those who need to enforce the laws are also those benefiting from their breaches. Politicians must first be held accountable for their crimes.










The Russian economy is now feeling the full effects of the market. The words that we have just talked for years about, like diversification and anti-corruption, have been just that, words. That has meant that the economy has not built in the resilience it needs. Medvedev is right about it all. Now we Russians have been burnt, we will react, because as we say, talk is talk. We needed to feel the burn from the fire, to know it is there. But we are not in such a bad position, this can be looked at as a process cleaning out the non-viable businesses, the problem is that there are indeed a lot of them. But sometimes we have to cut back to the foundations to build afresh, and what better than the market to do the pruning, because you can't buck the market. We have reserves in hand, our wealth fund is larger than most European countries total reserves. So if we are smart, we can build back big and SME enterprises, using the cash we have as an enabler. We need suffer a bit more as a people, and not go on a socialist spending spree, which puts our children in debt, rather than in wealth. We need ignore the likes of the IMF, who want to ruin us, and build business, whilst maintaining the population in reasonable conditions, until the evolving economy kicks in to make a better underpinned future for them. There is however, one big stumbling block, it isn't the business acumen, which is copiously present, but it is the corruption. Corrupt business doesn't work, and it is as simple as that. Pour money into a corrupt set up, the money goes, someone gets rich, and the problem remains. This is by far our biggest challenge, we need invest in fighting and defeating corruption. Identify the targets and take them out. They must fear for their safety and wealth. This needs a strong arm approach, it ain't going to happen with bits of paper, it will happen with Alpha. So Russia needs act on the corruption front, and I mean act, I want people in prison!