Lucy Kerner

Influence of Bureaucracies on Policy-making in the Former Soviet Union: the Case of Chernobyl Lucy Kerner

Over the last decades the power and strength of bureaucratic corruption have shaken many political systems. The governments of the former Soviet Union were not exempt. Political, economic and social changes often became victims of corrupt officials, bringing poverty and suffering to the very people whose plight they had to improve. Dysfunctional, corrupt behavior of Soviet officials is a focal point of this study. Analysis of activities of medical institutions during the Chernobyl accident shows that their behavior reached a pathological stage. In the case of Chernobyl medical services were either poorly provided to or completely withheld from the victims of the accident. The result was a manifold increase in illnesses and deaths among the population in the affected areas. The pathological behavior has become a modus operandi in the Soviet Union from the late 1970s, evolving in a significant contributing factor to the collapse of the regime. This study provides insights to behavior of both elected and appointed public officials who often act in conjunction with criminal elements, causing failure of post-Soviet states to build viable, democratic political and economic systems.