RUSSIAN REGIONS AND THE FEDERAL CENTER AGAINST GLOBAL THREATS: A YEAR OF FIGHTING COVID-19
V.E. Seliverstov1, N.A. Kravchenko1,2, V.I. Klistorin1,2, A.T. Yusupova1,2
1Institute of Economics and Industrial Engineering, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
2Novosibirsk National Research State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
Keywords: global threats, pandemic, coronavirus, COVID-19, coronavirus crisis, federative relations, center-region interaction, combating the coronavirus pandemic in the regions, fiscal relations, challenges and threats
Abstract
The article considers the preliminary results drawn and lessons learned from how the Russian federal center and regions counteract global threats. We point out the specific nature of Russia’s fight against COVID-19 that set it apart from a few other states, as well as delineate both adverse and favorable factors and conditions. This study shows that the Russian Federation, regardless of how grave the matter became, exhibited high resistance to the coronavirus crisis during the first COVID-19 wave. 2020 saw several growing trends toward decentralization in center-region relations. However, when decision-making powers were allocated to the regions, low-quality regional governance hindered their use. We take the context of jointly confronting global threats as a backdrop to show that Russia needs to find a compromise between “competitive" and “cooperative " sorts of federalism. The pandemic-related growth of the digital economy, remote working, telemedicine, etc., will magnify the digital divide among Russian regions, increasing asymmetry and competition. This situation will require unique forms of state regulation and public resources. The article concludes that none other than a dramatic knowledge economy breakthrough can ensure Russia’s future independence against similar global threats (along with the consolidation and strengthening of proactive and effective public administration practices at all levels: federal, regional, and local).
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