Scientific Article
UDC 316.3
DOI 10.3792/3033-6015-2025-3-47-55
MODELS OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNANCE IN THE SUBJECTS
OF THE BAIKAL REGION: VARIABILITY AND DYNAMICS
Petrova Elena Viktorovna – Doctor of Sociological Sciences, Associate Professor, Leading Research Fellow at the Federal State Budgetary Institution of Science, Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Ulan-Ude, Russia). ORCID: 0000-0003-4612-3471. E-mail: elenapet_05@mail.ru.
The article analyzes the variability and dynamics of local self-government models in the Irkutsk Region, the Republic of Buryatia, and the Trans-Baikal Territory. Five models of municipal authority, legally established in the Russian Federation, are identified. The chronology of model changes over the past 20 years in the three regions is traced. The preferred attitude of the regional population towards direct elections of municipal heads compared to indirect elections is determined. It is established that the three regions have abandoned direct elections of municipal heads in large cities and abolished the positions of city managers; the Trans-Baikal Territory has fully transitioned to a single-tier system, while the Irkutsk Region and the Republic of Buryatia have developed draft laws on transitioning to a single-tier system and will discuss them in regional parliaments before the end of 2025.
Keywords: Irkutsk Region, Republic of Buryatia, Trans-Baikal Territory, models of local self-government, direct elections, city manager, single-tier system.
MODELS OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNANCE IN THE SUBJECT
OF THE BAIKAL REGION: VARIABILITY AND DYNAMICS
Petrova Elena Viktorovna – D.Phil. in Social Science, Associate Professor, Leading Research Fellow of the Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Ulan-Ude, Russia). ORCID: 0000-0003-4612-3471. E-mail: elenapet_05@mail.ru.
The article analyzes the variability and dynamics of local self-government models in the constituent entities of the Baikal region: the Irkutsk Region, the Republic of Buryatia, and the Trans-Baikal Territory. Five models of municipal government that are legally established in the Russian Federation are identified. The chronology of the change of models over the past 20 years in the three regions is traced. The preferred attitude of the regional population towards direct elections of municipal heads compared to indirect elections is determined. It has been established that three regions have abandoned direct elections of municipal heads in large cities, abolished the positions of city managers, and the Trans-Baikal Territory has completely switched to a single-tier system, unlike the Irkutsk Region and the Republic
of Buryatia, which have not yet made a final decision.
Keywords: Irkutsk Region, Republic of Buryatia, Zabaykalsky Krai, models of local self-government, direct elections, city manager, single-level system.
