9406594 JAROSZ In Russia and other former communist nations, economic activities are continuing to undergo structural transformations. The processes through which the old institutions geared toward centralized state control of resources into decentralized forms of private ownership have varied in different industries and in different regions. This doctoral dissertation research project will consist of a small-scale comparative study of changing institutional structure through examination of four different petroleum-extraction and -transportation operations in Siberia. The initial phases of the project will include archival research into international funding organization policies and programs. Interviews will be conducted with officials at agencies like the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, with project- development officers and other officials at multinational oil companies, and with lawyers experienced in joint ventures involving Russia. The doctoral student also will attend an international seminar on petroleum and mineral law and policy. The final phases of the project will consist of on-site visits to the Siberian oil operation, where interviews will be conducted with industry and local government leaders and workers, and data will be obtained from published accounts and field observations. This project will provide valuable new insights into relationships among institutional and technological changes in an important extractive industry. In addition to generating empirical information about four private oil operations in Siberia, this research will enhance understandings of the impacts of local, regional, and national policies and the intervention of foreign multinational corporations on the development of an important extractive activity. As a doctoral dissertation research improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.
