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ABSTRACT
In 2003, the authorities of Russia launched a comprehensive reform of local government. One of the elements of this reform was the replacement of the previously predominant form of local government, characterised by the presence of directly elected mayors, with the council-manager model. While originally motivated largely by the desire to enhance the efficacy of local government, the reform was implemented concurrently with Russia’s transition to electoral authoritarianism, with the council-manager model emerging as a major tool of authoritarian transformation. This study uses the data from 79 capitals of Russia’s regions in order to identify those factors that facilitated the survival of directly elected mayors in these cities. The analysis reveals that the past trajectories of regime transitions at the regional level in the form of elite settlement, economic resourcefulness, and the lack of politically motivated deference to the federal authorities contributed to the survival of local democracy in Russia.
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Notes on contributors
Grigorii V. Golosov
Grigorii V. Golosov is a professor of comparative politics at the European University of St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia. His research interests include political parties and party systems, electoral politics, and Russia’s regional politics. His articles have been published in many international journals, including Comparative Political Studies, Europe-Asia Studies, International Political Science Review, Party Politics, and Political Studies.
Kristina Gushchina
Kristina Gushchina is a graduate student in the Department of Political Science of the Central European University, Budapest, Hungary. Her research interests include Russian regional and local politics and political economy.
Pavel Kononenko
Pavel Kononenko is an assistant professor in the Department of Liberal Arts and Sciences of St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia. His academic interests focus on comparative politics, Russian regional politics, and new political economy. His articles have been published in several edited collections and national political science journals.