Imperial Legal Politics after the Age of Empires: How the Russian Judiciary Adjudicates Commercial Disputes in Crimea
Journal: Perspectives on Politics
Year: 2025

What is the role of law in imperial state-building projects? We study this question of historical significance with an empirical focus on Russian arbitrazh (commercial) courts in Crimea. We document the increase in the number of disputes that involve the Russian state and strong pro-government favoritism in court decisions. We also find that arbitrazh courts are used as a check on local political elites. At the same time, our analysis establishes favoritism toward local businesses in disputes wi