The Institutionalization of Urban Communities of Major Regional Centers of the Russian Federation in the System of Political Conflict Management: Limits of Possibilities

Abstract

In modern Russia, the problems of institutionalized participation of the communities of major regional centers in political conflict management and decision-making on the urban development agenda are becoming more relevant. Political institutionalization is considered by the authors in the context of the liberal theory of conflict, the neo-institutional approach, and illiberal peacebuilding. The authors draw conclusions on the growth of the subjectivity of urban communities with their lack of involvement in the system of political governance at the city level, based on the data of an empirical study conducted through semi-structured interviews with leaders and activists of urban communities in three major regional centers of Russia - Voronezh, Krasnodar, Yaroslavl, as well as an expert survey in these cities. The analysis of the “Krasnodar Tram” case reveals such problems as the low level of institutional trust in the system of interactions between urban communities and local authorities, as well as the lack of effective mechanisms for coordinating decisions in a conflict. Thus, the political institutionalization of communities is limited in scale, which is due to the state of the public policy space at the municipal level, the hybrid nature of institutional regulation, as well as the structure and characteristics of the activities of the communities themselves.