FEATURES, TRENDS, AND FACTORS SHAPING DIVERSE APPROACHES  TO LOCAL GOVERNANCE IN THE EUROPEAN NORTH OF RUSSIA

Original article

Download article

Nikolai V. Voroshilov

Vologda Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vologda, Russia

niks789@yandex.ru, http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5565-1906

Abstract. The goal of this article is to study the features and trends in the development of various forms of local governance in Russia, with a particular focus on the regions falling within the European North of Russia (ENR). To achieve this goal,  a combination of general research methods (analysis, synthesis, generalization, case study) and applied methods (such as grouping analysis, economic and statistical analysis, and sociological research methods) were used. The study relies on official statistics from Rosstat, reports from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, election and referendum data from the Vybory (Elections) system, and the results of questionnaire surveys of municipal leaders  in the Vologda Oblast conducted from 2007 to 2022. The scientific novelty of the study lies in its assessment of the influence of various factors (territorial urbanization level and overall municipal development) on the nuances of residents’ electoral participation from 2018 to 2022, using ENR municipalities as a case study. The research revealed that elections lacking  a legally established voter turnout threshold witnessed notably low voter participation rates (ranging from 28 % to 41 %  in the elections of senior officials of ENR regions from 2019 to 2022, 40% to 46% in the elections of State Duma deputies  in 2021, and 8% to 71% in the elections of rural settlement heads). In most cases, municipalities with predominantly rural populations demonstrated higher election turnout rates and stronger support for winning candidates, a pattern that also holds in low-development areas within the Vologda Oblast. The article also discusses how local governors in the Vologda Oblast assess civil engagement from 2012 to 2022 and offers recommendations for regional-level monitoring of diverse forms of population involvement in territorial development, with an emphasis on local public governance.

Keywords: local governance, elections, referendums, municipalities, Russian federal subject, European North of Russia

Acknowledgments: The research was funded by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation, Project No. 23-28-01615, https://rscf.ru/en/project/23-28-01615/

For citation: Voroshilov N. V. Features, trends, and factors shaping diverse approaches to local governance in the European North of Russia. Sever i rynok: formirovanie ekonomicheskogo poryadka [The North and the Market: Forming the Economic Order], 2023, no. 3, рр. 165–183. https://doi:10.37614/2220-802X.3.2023.81.011. (In Russ.).

References

  1. Nikitina A. A. Formy neposredstvennogo uchastiya naseleniya v osushchestvlenii mestnogo samoupravleniya v Rostovskoi oblasti: pravovoe regulirovanie i praktika [Forms of direct participation of the population  in the implementation of local self-government in the Rostov region: legal regulation and practice]. Gosudarstvennoe upravlenie. Elektronnyi vestnik [Public administration. Electronic bulletin], 2021, no. 88, pp. 119–133. https://doi:24412/2070-1381-2021-88-119-133. (In Russ.).
  2. Voroshilov N. V. Formy uchastiya naseleniya v upravlenii razvitiem munitsipal’nykh obrazovanii v Rossiiskoi Federatsii [Forms of public participation in the management of the development of municipalities in the Russian Federation]. Zhurnal issledovanii po upravleniyu [Journal of Management Studies], 2019. vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 44–64. (In Russ.).
  3. Bulanova M. A. Vzaimodeistvie organov mestnogo samoupravleniya s gorodskim soobshchestvom Khabarovska: sotsiologicheskii analiz [Interaction of local self-government bodies with the urban community of Khabarovsk: a sociological analysis]. Vlast’ i upravlenie na Vostoke Rossii [Power and management in the East of Russia], 2023, no. 1 (102), pp. 111–124. https://doi:22394/1818-4049-2023-102-1-111-124. (In Russ.).
  4. Kharitonova G. N., Ivanova L. V. Realizatsiya prava naseleniya na blagopriyatnuyu okruzhayushchuyu sredu v arkticheskom sub”ekte Federatsii [Realization of the right of the population to a favorable environment in the Arctic subject of the Federation]. Sever i rynok: formirovanie ekonomicheskogo poryadka [The North and the Market: Forming the Economic Order], 2018, no. 2 (58), pp. 103–113. https://doi:25702/KSC.2220-802X-2-2018-58-103-113. (In Russ.).
  5. Callois J.M., Schmitt B. The role of social capital components on local economic growth: Local cohesion and openness in French rural areas. Review of Agricultural and Environmental Studies, 2009, no. 90 (3), pp. 257–286.
  6. Adams E. A., Boating G. O. Are Urban Informal Communities Capable of Co-Production? The Influence of Community–Public Partnership on Water Access in Lilongwe, Malawi. Environment and Urbanization, 2018, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 461–480.
  7. Malyshkina D. A. Voprosy uchastiya naseleniya v upravlenii razvitiem gorodskogo prostranstva [Issues of public participation in the management of urban space development]. Sotsiodinamika [Sociodynamics], 2023, no. 5, 41–48. https://doi:10.25136/2409-7144.2023.5.40890 (In Russ.).
  8. Titov E. Effektivnost’ gorodskogo soupravleniya v regional’nykh gorodakh Rossii (na primere Yakutii) [The effectiveness of urban co-management in regional cities of Russia (on the example of Yakutia)]. Gorodskie issledovaniya i praktiki [Urban research and practice], 2021, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 48–64. https://doi:17323/usp62202148-64. (In Russ.).
  9. Chado J., Johar F. B., Khan M. G. Citizen Participation in Urban Governance: Experiences from Traditional City of Bida, Nigeria. Journal of Computational and Theoretical Nanoscience, 2017, vol. 23, no. 7, pp. 6194–6197.
  10. Zhestyannikov S. G. Obshchestvennoe uchastie kak instrument razvitiya territorii (iz opyta Vologodskogo munitsipal’nogo raiona Vologodskoi oblasti) [Public participation as a tool for territory development (from the experience of the Vologda municipal district of the Vologda region)]. Problemy razvitiya territorii [Problems  of territory development], 2021, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 52–67. https://doi:15838/ptd.2021.1.111.3 (In Russ.).
  11. Kondrat’ev M. V., Fadeeva O. P. Praktiki uchastiya naseleniya v mestnom samoupravlenii: keisy sibirskikh sel [Practices
  12. of public participation in local self-government: cases of Siberian villages]. Region: Ekonomika i Sotsiologiya [Region: Economics and Sociology], 2021, no. 2 (110), pp. 162–183. https://doi:15372/REG20210207 (In Russ.).
  13. Beksheneva A. A., Yagodka N. N. Politicheskaya i nepoliticheskaya formy uchastiya grazhdan v obshchestvennoi zhizni Rossii [Political and non-political forms of citizens’ participation in the public life of Russia]. Vestnik Rossiiskogo universiteta druzhby narodov. Seriya: Gosudarstvennoe i munitsipal’noe upravlenie [Bulletin of the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia. Series: State and Municipal Administration], 2020, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 25–35. https://doi:22363/2312-8313-2020-7-1-25-35. (In Russ.).
  14. Zelentsov V. V. Razvitie obshchestvennogo uchastiya v mestnom samoupravlenii v munitsipal’nykh obrazovaniyakh respubliki Buryatiya [Development of public participation in local self-government in municipalities of the Republic of Buryatia]. Munitsipalitet: ekonomika i upravlenie [Municipality: economics and management], 2020, no. 3 (32), pp. 40–47. (In Russ.).
  15. Pomazanskii A. E. Sootnoshenie traditsionnykh i novykh form uchastiya grazhdan v osushchestvlenii mestnogo samoupravleniya [Correlation of traditional and new forms of citizen participation in the implementation of local self-government]. Zhurnal rossiiskogo prava [Journal of Russian Law], 2019, no. 11, pp. 58–68. https://doi:12737/jrl.2019.11.4. (In Russ.).
  16. Mishchenko V. V., Lyakisheva V. G., Kirillov A. A. Initsiativnye proekty kak odna iz perspektivnykh form grazhdanskogo uchastiya v reshenii voprosov sotsial’no-ekonomicheskogo razvitiya territorii (na materialakh Altaiskogo kraya) [Initiative projects as one of the promising forms of civic participation in solving issues of socio-economic development of the territory (based on the materials of the Altai Territory)]. Professiya. Biznes [Economy. Profession. Business], 2022, no. 3, pp. 74–83. https://doi:10.14258/epb202240. (In Russ.).
  17. Cherkasov A. I. Partisipativnaya demokratiya i ee formy na mestnom urovne v evropeiskikh stranakh [Participatory democracy and its forms at the local level in European countries]. Sravnitel’noe konstitutsionnoe obozrenie [Comparative Constitutional Review], 2021, no. 6 (145), pp. 15–33. https://doi:21128/1812-7126-2021-6-15-33.
  18. Vorob’ev M. I. Initsiativnoe byudzhetirovanie v malykh gorodakh i sel’skoi mestnosti kak mekhanizm vovlecheniya grazhdan v reshenie voprosov mestnogo znacheniya [Initiative budgeting in small towns and rural areas as a mechanism for involving citizens in solving local issues]. Regional’nye issledovaniya [Regional studies], 2020, no. 1 (67), pp. 89–99. https://doi:5922/1994-5280-2020-1-8. (In Russ.).
  19. Odintsova A. V. Initsiativnoe byudzhetirovanie v sisteme prostranstvennogo razvitiya [Initiative budgeting in the system of spatial development]. Federalizm [Federalism], 2019. no. 1 (93). pp. 56–71. (In Russ.).
  20. Sitdikova N. A., Falaleev M. A., Nechai E. E. Vliyanie prirodnykh faktorov na elektoral’nuyu aktivnost’ naseleniya Rossii. Analiz regional’nykh keisov [The influence of natural factors on the electoral activity of the Russian population. Analysis of regional cases]. Voprosy natsional’nykh i federativnykh otnoshenii [Issues of national and federal relations], 2021. vol. 11, no. 12 (81), pp. 3491–3496. https://doi:35775/PSI.2021.81.12.023. (In Russ.).
  21. Kupin R. A. Obshchestvennaya aktivnost’ naseleniya kak faktor effektivnosti mestnogo samoupravleniya v respublikakh Severnogo Kavkaza [Public activity of the population as a factor of the effectiveness of local self-government in the republics of the North Caucasus]. Srednerusskii vestnik obshchestvennykh nauk [Central Russian Bulletin of Social Sciences], 2022, 17, no. 3, pp. 71–87. https://doi:10.22394/2071-2367-2022-17-3-71-87. (In Russ.).
  22. Turovskii R. F., Korneeva E. M., Vaselenko O. S. Elektoral’naya aktivnost’ na munitsipal’nykh vyborakh v postkommunisticheskikh stranakh [Electoral activity in municipal elections in post-communist countries]. Mirovaya ekonomika i mezhdunarodnye otnosheniya [World economy and international relations], 2020, vol. 64, no. 10, pp. 121–132. https://doi:20542/0131-2227-2020-64-10-121-132. (In Russ.).
  23. Pacek A. C., Pop-Eleches G., Tucker J. A. Disenchanted or Discerning: Voter Turnout in Post-Communist Countries. Journal of Politics, 2009, vol. 71, issue 2, pp. 473–491. https://doi:1017/S0022381609090409.
  24. Volkova N. V., Dudochnikov A. I. Zavisimost’ yavki izbiratelei na federal’nykh vyborakh ot kolichestvennykh i kachestvennykh faktorov obshchestvennoi zhizni v otdel’nykh regionakh RF [The dependence of voter turnout in federal elections on quantitative and qualitative factors of public life in certain regions of the Russian Federation]. Ustoichivoe razvitie nauki i obrazovaniya [Sustainable development of science and education], 2018, no. 7, pp. 10–20. (In Russ.).
  25. Panov P., Ross C. Explanatory Factors for Electoral Turnout in the Russian Federation: The Regional Dimension. Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization, 2016, no. 24 (3), pp. 51–70.
  26. Lyubarev A. E. Rossiiskie munitsipal’nye vybory cherez prizmu elektoral’noi statistiki [Russian municipal elections through the prism of electoral statistics]. Elektoral’naya politika [Electoral politics], 2022, no. 2 (8), pp. 1.
  27. Shakurova N. E. Aktual’nye tendentsii elektoral’noi aktivnosti molodezhi v gosudarstvakh Evropy [Current trends in the electoral activity of youth in the states of Europe]. Vybory. Vlast’ [Citizen. Elections. Power], 2020, no. 4 (18), pp. 81–91. (In Russ.).
  28. Kimberlee R. Why Don’t British Young People Vote at General Elections?. Journal of Youth Studies, 2015. vol. 5, no. 1, 85–98.
  29. Loader B.D. (ed.). Young Citizens in the Digital Age: Political Engagement, Young People and New Media. London: Routledge, 2017, 218 p.
  30. Ballard P.J., Malin H., Porter T.J., Colby A., Damon W. Motivations for Civic Participation Among Diverse Youth: More Similarities than Differences. Research in Human Development, 2015, vol. 12, no. 1–2, pp. 63–83.
  31. Lilleker D.G. Koc-Michalska K. What Drives Political Participation? Motivations and Mobilization in a Digital Age. Political Communication, 2016, vol. 33, pp. 1–23. https://doi:1080/10584609.2016.1225235.
  32. Solov’ev A. I., Pushkareva G. V. Grazhdanskii sektor gosudarstvennogo upravleniya: novye formy samoorganizatsii i uchastiya naseleniya v usloviyakh tsifrovizatsii publichnogo prostranstva [Civil sector of public administration: new forms of self-organization and public participation in the conditions of digitalization of public space]. Vestnik Rossiiskogo fonda fundamental’nykh issledovanii. Gumanitarnye i obshchestvennye nauki [Bulletin of the Russian Foundation for Fundamental Research. Humanities and social sciences], 2020, no. 5 (102), pp. 67–75. https://doi:22204/2587-8956-2020-102-05-67-75. (In Russ.).
  33. Meng T., Cheng D. Research on local government governance structure reform and function change based on artificial intelligence technology. International Journal of Wireless and Mobile Computing, 2020, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 303–310.
  34. Voroshilov N. V., Gubanova E. S. Vnutriregional’naya social’no-ekonomicheskaya differenciaciya [Intraregional socio-economic differentiation]. Vologda, FSBI VolSC RAS, 2019, 187 p.