Competitive model of recruiting leaders in the political space of industrial Ural cities: specificity and typology

Introduction. Industrial enterprises in small cities of the Urals in the 2010s have become much less likely to take active public participation in local politics. Nevertheless, the position of the chief executive generates interest among local groups and competition between them. What strategies are chosen and what factors lie behind the company's participation or non-participation in the process of competitive recruitment of the mayor? What coalitions are formed in the competition process and how are the power hierarchies of the political space built? Aims. The paper is to determine the role and outline participation or non-participation strategies of industrial enterprises in the cities of the Urals in the competitive recruitment of local government leaders. Methods. In-depth interviews, the theory of social space (P. Bourdieu). Results. The relationship between the key characteristics of the political and economic field of the local political space and the public policy was systematized; analyzed were 29 recruitment competitions for local self-government heads in industrial cities of the Perm, Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk regions, in terms of their competitiveness and conflict; models of enterprise participation in the competition were identified and described; the leading factors influencing the choice of participation/non-participation strategy of an industrial enterprise in competitive procedures were determined. Conclusion. An industrial enterprise and its management are subjects of local policy and an important element structuring the political space of a municipality. The main factors influencing the choice of participation or non-participation strategy by an enterprise in the process of competitive recruitment of an authority are as follows: the economic situation of the enterprise and its investments in the social programs of the city; the presence of several large enterprises in the same political space; features of the relationship between local authorities and the company; degree of the company's independence and localization of control over it; the position of regional authorities.