Kovalyou said participants wanted to see what works and what doesn't in the U.S. political system.

"We are all well aware from books about the American system of democracy, how it works," he said. "But we would like to know how it works in reality, in actions, in deed."

Events included one talk about Congress and the Pentagon by U.S. Rep. Glen Browder (D-Ala.) and another about the separation of powers, by former Rep. Mickey Edwards (R-Okla.), who is now a Kennedy School lecturer.

Edwards told Duma members that if they wanted to see an efficient government, they came to the wrong country. He discussed the constitutional system of checks and balances and the tortuous process of passing legislation.

"The emphasis here is not on efficient government," Edwards said. "The emphasis is on protecting liberty."

The Carnegie corporation funded the program. Its president, Dr. Devid Hamburg, has long been active in efforts to improve U.S./Russia relations.

This story was complied with Associated Press wire dispatches.