Big business in local politics: forms and dynamic of the participation of city-forming enterprises in local political processes

Introduction. The involvement of big business in politics and governance at the “lower” (town) level implies a serious transformation of the local political landscapes in the towns where it took place, and as such is of interest for a research. Aims. To study the dynamics of the large enterprises political activity in small and medium-sized towns in the Russian regions in the period of 2000-2010s. Methods. The study was based on the analysis of municipal electoral statistics, observational materials and interviews with representatives of local authorities, biographical data on officials and deputies of local government. The focus of research is on seven towns with large industrial enterprises located the Urals. Results. The research highlights the two main strategies selected by large enterprises in relation to local governments at different stages of their participation in local politics. The first one implies a high level of direct control over the town government. The second is more flexible and involves a combination of direct and indirect representation and the active use of informal communication practices. Conclusions. In the 2000s the city-forming enterprises, by virtue of their superiority in resources, dominated the space of urban politics; while in the 2010s, for a number of reasons, they have weakened control over local politics and demonstrate the variability of forms of political participation.