In the Dish’s latest podcast, Masha Gessen discusses how Putin’s control of the media prevents accurate polling on his popularity. But Daniel Treisman finds that “Putin’s popularity remains highly vulnerable to a further deterioration in the economy”:
Russia’s growth rate has sunk steadily from 4.8 percent in the first quarter of 2012 to 1.2 percent in the third quarter of 2013. This has not yet affected incomes and employment in a way that would undermine public assessments of the economy. But if it does, the political effects may be pronounced.
The Dish 