To assess Resilience of Russian cities under international sanctions and the consequences of COVID-19: a sociological study

Abstract

The paper presents the results of in-depth interviews and a questionnaire survey of the Russian cites administration representatives about cities resilience under the sanctions pressure and COVID-19. The survey was conducted by the Center for Territorial Changes and Urban Development of IPEI RANEPA in March-May 2023, it was attended by representatives of the administration of more than 50 cities of the Russian Federation. We found overall situation as stable: social programs are being implemented in full, unemployment is decreasing, construction of municipal facilities continues, problems with failures in the supply of spare parts, equipment and components are being solved. At the same time, the sanctions have affected the urban economy in completely different ways: while in some cities show significant negative effect, in others the impact of sanctions is insignificant. Cites face number of new challenges: disruption of supply chains, refusal to supply paid equipment, inability to find analogues of imported equipment with the necessary characteristics, rising prices for spare parts. components and construction materials, the rupture of established sales channels to unfriendly countries, a drop in municipal budget revenues, etc. The heads of the city administration work overtime to solve emerging problems, organize interaction between enterprises, establish and deepen business contacts with friendly countries, put forward proposals to improve the situation at the federal level. New tasks successfully solved, although it requires serious efforts. To respond to new challenges, we need a new, more decentralized and local-oriented style of public administration, a process of well-established feedback.