Federal government and local authorities: feed-forward and feedback

Improving the quality of life of Russian citizens is a key issue of state policy. However, concrete actions and actions that improve the quality of life of Russians are implemented on the ground - in cities, towns, villages and other localities, that is, at a level as close as possible to everyday life. The creation at the institutional level of favorable conditions for this activity of local governments depends on the state. They solve specific problems, embodying the ideas of national importance in the framework of four priority areas - education, health, housing and agriculture. How appropriate are the selection of these national priorities and the timely implementation of projects? What problems arise, from whom do municipalities expect assistance? What else needs to be done to give the changing areas a stimulus to move forward? These and other questions are the subject of a sociological study undertaken by the Association of Siberian and Far Eastern cities with the organizational support of other interregional and regional associations of municipalities, with the aim of providing feedback between the federal center, those who set the rules at the institutional level, and the municipal community working daily on solving the tasks, having an understanding and strategic vision of varying degrees of clarity. As part of this study, in May-June 2006, an All-Russian expert survey of the heads of municipalities from 61 constituent entities of the Russian Federation was conducted, specifically from 473 municipalities of different types (31% are urban districts, 24% are municipal districts, 37% are rural settlements and 8% - urban settlements). Specialists of municipal administrations were involved in answering questions on specific projects.