The Siberian Settlement: From Formal Self-Government to Forced Self-Organization

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article reviews the evolution the rural self-government system in Russia over the last 15 years. Following the adoption of a federal law in 2003, the active institutionalization of local self-government was replaced by a tendency to restrict the power and autonomy of municipalities—especially at the level of the rural administrations that are closest to the people. The lack of financing for local budgets became a major factor in restricting rural development. Local self-government was introduced into the system of government at the lowest, most dependent and resource-limited level of the power vertical. As part of the present field study, the author conducted interviews with rural administrators representing settlements in Siberian regions. These interviews constitute a “bottom up” view of the ongoing transformations and illuminate the reactions of rural communities to the changes in the external institutional environment. It is shown that an answer to the challenges of reform is the development of informal practices, which facilitate the self-organization of the population and serve as a compensatory mechanism. In such a system, the role of rural administrative leaders considerably increases as they initiate and organize complex projects that demand the cooperation and solidarity of local residents in order to solve common problems.