Top management of town-forming enterprises and legislatures of small towns: Persons matter

Abstract

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.