You must register by 5pm on September 25, 2025 to attend this event.

Please join the Program on US-Russia Relations at the Harriman Institute for a lecture by Regina Smyth. Moderated by Elise Giuliano.

In Summer 2023 The Economist explored the rise of authoritarian state projects to build conservative core constituencies based on state values. In Russia, the Kremlin’s efforts to instill state values in the population began in response to social protest in 2011-2012 and continued throughout the next decade. Relying on unique survey data collected in the months prior to Russia’s war in Ukraine, this talk will address the debates over the Russian values project, the types of conservatism expressed by citizens, the congruence between values and state messaging, the ideological structure of Russian society, and finally, the causal links between values and political participation. The analysis underscores the importance of a plurality of core voters in authoritarian regimes to limit dissent and project regime support in the face of societal fragmentation.

Regina Smyth is a Professor of Political Science at Indiana University. She is particularly interested in how state strategies to sustain the Putin regime influence Russian foreign policy decisions and international behavior. Since 1993, her research has relied on original data and extensive fieldwork to examine the interactions between the state, society, and opposition forces. Her recent book Elections, Protest, and Authoritarian Regime Stability: Russia 2008–2020 examines how much electoral competition matters to the Putin regime and how competition leaves Russia more vulnerable to opposition challenges. Her previous book Candidate Strategies and Electoral Competition in the Russian Federation: Democracy Without Foundation was published in 2006. Her research has been published in the American Political Science Review, Comparative Political Studies, Post-Soviet Affairs, and many other journals. She received her PhD from Duke University in 1997.