Топ-менеджмент градообразующих предприятий и легислатуры малых городов: персоны имеют значение

Политическая экспертиза: ПОЛИТЭКС. 2022. Т. 18. № 1. С. 4–22.

Чирикова А. Е., Ledyaev V. G.

The article presents the outcomes of an empirical study in three small towns of the Russian
Federation in 2012–2015 and 2019–2020. The main empirical material was obtained through
in-depth interviews (101 interviews in total) with the main actors of local politics. The study
showed that in all communities the leadership of town-forming enterprises has a substantial
potential to influence decision-making process. However, the degree and nature of their
involvement in urban politics varies significantly — from active involvement to leaving. In
both cases, the interests of enterprises were taken into account by the leadership of the
legislatures, which either directly consisted of representatives of the enterprises, or from the
very beginning positioned itself as their partner. When the local representative government
is headed by representatives of big business, the possibilities for exercising control over the
actions of the executive branch increase. The study showed that town legislatures are a platform
for reconciling the interests of big business and the executive branch, without which
the participation of big business in the local political processes would be behind the scene
and informal. The possibility of turning the legislature into a platform for coordinating interests
directly depends on the personal qualities of town and business leaders, their authority
and understanding of the importance of cooperation. In the absence of this, the legislature
will not be able to successfully participate in the elaboration of the community development
strategy. The study showed that the company’s desire to coordinate its actions with the executive
branch does not necessarily lead to a clear dominance of the company over municipal
structures, and the real partnership between the two main participants in urban politics largely
depends on the personal factor.
 

Keywords: Россия, малый город, топ-менеджмент, legislature, small town, легислатура, градообразующие предприятия, top management, town-forming enterprise