Outsourcing social services to NGOs in Russia

Federal Policy and Regional Responses

Datos Bibliográficos

ID7360853
AutoresLinda J Cook (0000-0002-7323-8584, Departments of Political Science and Slavic Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA, autor de correspondencia), Елена Ярская-Смирнова (0000-0002-3139-5215, Department of Sociology, International Laboratory for Social Integration Research, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia), Elena Iarskaia-Smirnova, Anna Tarasenko (0000-0002-8803-4509, National Research University Higher School of Economics)
Año2020
Volumen37
Número2
Páginas119-136
Fecha de publicación2020-12-28
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaPost-Soviet Affairs (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1060-586X • E-ISSN: 1938-2855
EditorialTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/1060586x.2020.1853454
OpenAlexW3115407313
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas9
Referencias citadas26

Our research bears on two critical issues for contemporary Russia: federal–regional power relations; and whether Moscow can modernize institutions and address dissatisfaction with social service delivery, a major political issue. It is the first comprehensive study of a major 2015 reform that ended the state monopoly over service provision and initiated outsourcing (contracting out) to socially oriented non-profits (SONPOs) and other non-state organizations. We find substantial interregional variation. Statistical tests of economic, political, and institutional explanations show that only the economic helps to explain variation across Russia's regions. We rely on comparisons of six regions, drawing on semi-structured interviews to gain a contextualized understanding of their varied implementation strategies. Key findings are that regional leaders demonstrated agency in crafting diverse strategies, while the Center showed flexibility. Whether Moscow can modernize public services remains unclear, though there is some evidence of improvement since the beginning of the outsourcing reform

Agency (philosophy · Business · Economics · Flexibility (engineering · Management · Market economy · Monopoly · Outsourcing · Political science · Politics · Social science · Sociology · State (computer science · Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering · Public Administration · Social Capital and Networks · Social Policy and Reform Studies · Marketing