{"id":1823,"date":"2026-06-24T12:21:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T09:21:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/iep.kolasc.net.ru\/journal\/eng\/?page_id=1823"},"modified":"2026-06-24T12:21:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T09:21:02","slug":"enhancing-the-quality-of-municipal-governance-through-public-engagement-evidence-from-a-2025-expert-survey","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/iep.kolasc.net.ru\/journal\/eng\/?page_id=1823","title":{"rendered":"ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNANCE THROUGH PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT: \u00a0EVIDENCE FROM A 2025 EXPERT SURVEY"},"content":{"rendered":"

Original article<\/p>\n

Download article<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Dmitry L. Kondratovich1<\/sup>, Anna A. Tokarenko2<\/sup>, Alina S. Kalugina3<\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n

1,\u00a02,\u00a03<\/sup>Luzin Institute for Economic Studies of the Kola Science Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Apatity, Russia \u00a01<\/sup>k_dim@bk.ru, ORCID 0000-0002-4433-8383<\/p>\n

2<\/sup>anya.tok.55@gmail.com<\/p>\n

3<\/sup>lina-kaluginay@yandex.ru<\/p>\n

\n

Abstract.<\/strong> The development of anchor cities in the Arctic requires effective interaction among all stakeholders, with municipal authorities playing a key role in organizing this process. This article presents findings from the final stage of a sociological study, namely an expert survey of officials (heads of municipalities and their deputies) in the anchor Arctic cities of the Murmansk Region, conducted in October 2025. The aim of the study is to compare the assessments provided by the initiators of interaction (municipal officials) with previously collected data from a population survey. This comparison helps to identify overlapping viewpoints and systematic discrepancies in how the authorities and the local community perceive the problems and prospects for collaboration. The results show that municipal officials tend to rate formal efforts in communication \u00a0and stakeholder engagement more positively, while also recognizing challenges related to limited funding and administrative constraints. A substantial gap is observed in problem perception: residents are more likely to criticize authorities for formalism and insufficient consideration of public opinion, whereas municipal officials emphasize low levels of civic participation. The study contributes to the literature by moving beyond fragmented approaches to government\u2013community interaction through an integrated analysis of sociological data, thereby revealing systemic contradictions and communication barriers. Its practical significance lies in the potential application of the findings to inform policy adjustments and communication strategies of municipal authorities aimed at increasing public engagement in the socio-economic development of Arctic anchor cities.<\/p>\n

Keywords:<\/em> expert survey, municipal governance, social interaction, social partnership, public engagement, strategic planning, anchor Arctic cities, Murmansk Region<\/p>\n

Acknowledgments:<\/strong> This article is based on the research supported by the Russian Science Foundation (Project No. 24-28-20111, \u00a0\u201cMechanisms of Interaction Between the Population and Authorities in the Development of Municipalities in the Russian Arctic: Features, Challenges, and Prospects in a New Geopolitical Context\u201d) and the Government of the Murmansk Region.<\/p>\n

For<\/strong> citation:<\/strong> Kondratovich D. L., Tokarenko A. A., Kalugina A. S. Enhancing the quality of municipal governance through public engagement: Evidence from a 2025 expert survey. Sever i rynok: formirovanie ekonomicheskogo poryadka<\/em> [The North and the Market: Forming the Economic Order], 2026, no. 2, pp. 128\u2013140. doi:10.37614\/2220-802X.2.2026.92.009.<\/p>\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Zhestyannikov S. G. Povyshenie effektivnosti realizatsii zadach, vozlozhennykh na organy mestnogo samoupravleniya, v edinoi sisteme publichnoi vlasti [Improving the efficiency of implementation of tasks assigned to local self-government bodies in a unified system of public power]. Mestnoe pravo<\/em> [Local Law], 2023, no. 1, pp. 9\u201314. EDN: EGUNZU. (In Russ.).<\/li>\n
  2. Timokhov V. P., Zakopyrin V. N. Organy mestnogo samoupravleniya v edinoi sisteme publichnoi vlasti [Local governments as part of a public authority system]. Vestnik Ryazanskogo filiala Moskovskogo universiteta MVD Rossii<\/em> [Bulletin of the Ryazan Branch of Moscow University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia], 2021, no. 15, \u00a0 136\u2013140. EDN: QLVVWN. (In Russ.).<\/li>\n
  3. Uporov I. V. Organy mestnogo samoupravleniya kak nizhnii uroven’ publichnoi vlasti: politiko-pravovaya kharakteristika [Local governments as the lower level of public authority: Political and legal characteristics]. Tendentsii razvitiya nauki i obrazovaniya<\/em> [Trends in the Development of Science and Education], 2024, no. 115\u20136, pp. 137\u2013141. doi:10.18411\/trnio-11-2024-267. (In Russ.).<\/li>\n
  4. Kazakova E. A. Obrashcheniya grazhdan v organy mestnogo samoupravleniya: vidy, poryadok realizatsii [Public appeals to local governments: Types and procedures]. Aktual’nye issledovaniya<\/em> [Current Research], 2025, no. 21\u20133\u00a0(256), pp. 67\u201370. EDN: UCCIEU. (In Russ.).<\/li>\n
  5. Berezhnoy A. V., Gavetsky D. E., Golodok D. A. Obrashcheniya grazhdan v organy mestnogo samoupravleniya: sushchnost’ i poryadok rassmotreniya [Public appeals to local governments: Essence and procedures]. Tendentsii razvitiya nauki i obrazovaniya<\/em> [Trends in the Development of Science and Education], 2023, no. 98\u20134, pp. 184\u2013187. doi:10.18411\/trnio-06-2023-233. (In Russ.).<\/li>\n
  6. Uvarov A. A. Problemy pravovogo regulirovaniya i realizatsii prava grazhdan na obrashchenie v gosudarstvennye organy i organy mestnogo samoupravleniya [Issues of legal regulation and exercising of the civil right to address government and local self-government authorities]. Gosudarstvennaya vlast’ i mestnoye samoupravleniye<\/em> [State Power and Local Self-Government], 2019, no. 2, pp. 26\u201331. doi:10.18572\/1813-1247-2019-2-26-31. (In Russ.).<\/li>\n
  7. Mal\u2019tsev N. G. Sovershenstvovanie zakonodatel’stva ob obrashcheniyakh grazhdan v organy gosudarstvennoi vlasti i mestnogo samoupravleniya v Rossiiskoi Federatsii [Improving legislation on citizens’ appeals to state and local government bodies in the Russian Federation]. Voprosy rossiiskogo i mezhdunarodnogo prava<\/em> [Matters of Russian and International Law], 2020, vol. 10, no. 6\u20131, pp. 5\u201310. doi:10.34670\/AR.2020.72.57.001. (In Russ.).<\/li>\n
  8. Sosnovskikh A. V. Sobraniyam grazhdan \u2014 osobye prava na obrashcheniya v organy mestnogo samoupravleniya! [Meetings of citizens: Special rights for appeals to local governments]. Gosudarstvennoe i munitsipal’noe upravlenie v XXI veke: teoriya, metodologiya, praktika<\/em> [Public and Municipal Administration in the 21st Century: Theory, Methodology, Practice], 2015, no. 16, pp. 119\u2013122. EDN: TKJJMP. (In Russ.).<\/li>\n
  9. Ryndina S. E., Mitrofanova O. N. Organy mestnogo samoupravleniya v sotsial’nykh setyakh [Local governments in social networks]. Innovatsionnaya ekonomika i pravo<\/em> [Innovative Economy and Law], 2024, no. 1 (28), pp. 16\u201323. doi:10.53015\/2782-263X_2024_1_16. (In Russ.).<\/li>\n
  10. Kruglova O. V., Salakhov R. R., Denisov K. M. Zhilishchno-kommunal’noe khozyaistvo kak osnovnoi vopros, volnuyushchii grazhdan i organy mestnogo samoupravleniya [Housing and communal services as the main issue of concern to citizens and local governments]. Finansovyi biznes<\/em> [Financial Business], 2022, no. 10 (232), pp. 115\u2013118. EDN: HKRWBB. (In Russ.).<\/li>\n
  11. Kondratovich D. L., Ul’chenko M. V., Badylevich R. V. Sotsiologicheskaya otsenka osobennostei i form vzaimodeistviya naseleniya i organov vlasti v razvitii opornykh arkticheskikh gorodov (na primere Murmanskoi oblasti) [Public-government interaction in the development of Arctic anchor cities: A sociological case study of the Murmansk Region]. Sever i rynok: formirovanie ekonomicheskogo poryadka<\/em> [The North and the Market: Forming the Economic Order], 2025, no. 2, pp. 69\u201385. doi:10.37614\/2220-802X.2.2025.88.005. (In Russ.).<\/li>\n
  12. Gushchina I. A., Kondratovich D. L., Polozhentseva O. A. Vozmozhnye riski sotsial’no-ekonomicheskogo razvitiya severnykh i arkticheskikh regionov Rossii v sovremennykh geopoliticheskikh usloviyakh (po rezul’tatam ekspertnykh oprosov) [Possible risks of socio-economic development of the northern and Arctic regions of Russia in modern geopolitical conditions (based on the results of expert surveys)]. Regional’naya ekonomika i upravlenie: elektronnyi nauchnyi zhurnal <\/em>[Regional Economy and Management: Electronic Scientific Journal], 2023, no. 4 (76). EDN: DOCRHC. (In Russ.).<\/li>\n
  13. Kazantseva O. L. Organy gosudarstvennoi vlasti i organy mestnogo samoupravleniya: istoricheskie problemy vzaimodeistviya i perspektivy [Public authorities and local government: Historical problems of interaction and prospects]. Vestnik Barnaul’skogo yuridicheskogo instituta MVD Rossii<\/em> [Bulletin of the Barnaul Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia], 2015, no. 1 (28), pp. 11\u201314. EDN: TZBCTX. (In Russ.).<\/li>\n
  14. Podoplelova A. Yu., Napol’skikh D. L. Obrashcheniya grazhdan v organy mestnogo samoupravleniya kak forma vzaimodeistviya naseleniya s organami munitsipal’noi vlasti [Citizens’ appeals to local government bodies as a form of interaction between the population and municipal authorities]. Inzhenernye kadry \u2014 budushchee innovatsionnoi ekonomiki Rossii<\/em> [Engineering Personnel\u2014the Future of Russia’s Innovative Economy], 2016, no. 8, pp. 34\u201337. EDN: YFUEXD. (In Russ.).<\/li>\n
  15. Kirichuk S. M., Tolmacheva S. V. K kachestvu zhizni cherez prizmu vyborov v organy mestnogo samoupravleniya [Towards quality of life through the prism of elections to local government bodies]. Izvestiya vysshikh uchebnykh zavedenii. Sotsiologiya. Ekonomika. Politika<\/em> [News of Higher Educational Institutions. Sociology. Economics. Politics], 2019, no. 2, pp. 52\u201360. EDN: ZMVAXT. (In Russ.).<\/li>\n
  16. Eremenko E. E. Obshchie voprosy realizatsii prava grazhdan na obrashchenie v gosudarstvennye organy i organy mestnogo samoupravleniya [General issues regarding citizens\u2019 right to appeal to state and local government bodies]. Molodoy uchenyi<\/em> [Young Scientist], 2023, no. 28 (475), pp. 81\u201383. EDN: TDABOV. (In Russ.).<\/li>\n
  17. Kaplunova D. V. Obrashchenie grazhdan v organy gosudarstvennoi vlasti i mestnogo samoupravleniya: zakonodatel’noe ponyatie [Citizens’ appeal to state authorities and local self-government: legislative concept]. Biznes i obshchestvo<\/em> [Business and Society], 2022, no. 4 (36). EDN: KDQISK. (In Russ.).<\/li>\n
  18. Kir’yanova O. V. Realizatsii grazhdanami prava na obrashchenie v gosudarstvennye organy i organy mestnogo samoupravleniya [Implementation of citizens\u2019 right to appeal to state and local governments]. Agrarnoe i zemel’noe pravo<\/em> [Agrarian and Land Law], 2020, no. 6 (186), pp. 160\u2013161. EDN: NRFWWB. (In Russ.).<\/li>\n
  19. Nikiforova A. V. Predstavitel’nye organy mestnogo samoupravleniya i formy neposredstvennoi demokratii na mestnom urovne: vzaimosvyaz’ (na primere Kaluzhskoi oblasti) [Representative bodies of local government and forms of direct democracy at the local level: Interrelation (A case study of the Kaluga region)]. Novaya nauka: sovremennoe sostoyanie i puti razvitiya<\/em> [New Science: Current State and Development Paths], 2017, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 147\u2013150. EDN: YIWIIJ. (In Russ.).<\/li>\n
  20. Pyasetskaya E. N. Uchastie naseleniya v mestnom samoupravlenii: tendentsii razvitiya [Participation of the population in local government: Development tendencies].\u00a0Politika, ekonomika i innovatsii<\/em>[Politics, Economics and Innovation], 2017, no. 3 (13), p. 10. EDN: ZPEODN. (In Russ.).<\/li>\n
  21. Voroshilov N. V. Razvitie gorodskikh aglomeratsii na territorii Evropeiskogo Severa Rossii [Development of urban agglomerations in the European North of Russia]. Federalizm<\/em> [Federalism], 2021, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 54\u201374. doi:10.21686\/2073-1051-2021-4-54-74. (In Russ.).<\/li>\n
  22. David O., Bar-Tal D. A sociopsychological conception of collective identity: The case of national identity as an example. Personality and Social Psychology Review<\/em>, 2009, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 354\u2013 doi:10.1177\/1088868309344412.<\/li>\n
  23. Mendez C., Bachtler J. European Identity and Citizen Attitudes to Cohesion Policy: What do we know?<\/em> Glasgow, European Policies Research Centre, 2017, 43 p. doi:10.4324\/9781315580630.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Original article Download article\u00a0 Dmitry L. Kondratovich1, Anna A. Tokarenko2, Alina S. Kalugina3 1,\u00a02,\u00a03Luzin Institute for Economic Studies of the Kola Science Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Apatity, Russia \u00a01k_dim@bk.ru, ORCID 0000-0002-4433-8383 2anya.tok.55@gmail.com 3lina-kaluginay@yandex.ru Abstract. The development of … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"sidebar-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1823","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/iep.kolasc.net.ru\/journal\/eng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/iep.kolasc.net.ru\/journal\/eng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/iep.kolasc.net.ru\/journal\/eng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/iep.kolasc.net.ru\/journal\/eng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/iep.kolasc.net.ru\/journal\/eng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1823"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/iep.kolasc.net.ru\/journal\/eng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1823\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1824,"href":"http:\/\/iep.kolasc.net.ru\/journal\/eng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1823\/revisions\/1824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/iep.kolasc.net.ru\/journal\/eng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}