Regional Variations of the Service Provision Reforms in Russia: Political, Economic and Bureaucratic aspects

Service provision in contemporary Russia ranges from state-interventionism and paternalism to liberal approaches entailing the deregulation of the public sphere and the introduction of outsourcing mechanisms. In negotiating the incoherent policies provided by the federal government some regional authorities tend to resist shifting from inherited statist patterns in social provision, while others prefer to adopt a “liberal” policy relying on non-state service providers. What accounts for regional variations in service provision reforms? The paper draws on interviews with NGOs, specialists and experts, as well as the analysis of quantitative data (including numbers of public sector and non-state organizations, financial support for NGOs.) and the analysis of legislation and regulations, and the results of federal and regional competitions for NGOs.