POLITICS: FEDERAL DISTRICTS
5. FEDERAL DISTRICT PROFILES
SOURCE. EastWest Institute Russian Regional Report (Vol. 7, No. 20, 17 June 2002). Report of conference on the impact of federal reform held just outside Moscow on June 7-9 by the George Washington University and the EastWest Institute. Readers are strongly recommended to read the whole report, available from regions@iews.org
The vague definition of the functions of the federal districts (FDs) and the duties of the presidential representatives (PRs) has given rise to wide variations in the way different FD administrations are organized and staffed and what they do and do not do. This source provides examples of these variations, giving us some idea of the specific profiles of individual FDs.
STAFFING. Most FD administrations are poorly staffed. The recognized exception is the Volga FD (PR Sergei Kirienko), which has recruited many highly educated and energetic staff on a competitive basis, many of whom have business experience. The staff of the Southern FD (PR Viktor Kazantsev) is dominated by middle-ranking military officers, many from Moscow, who do not have relevant skills and lack initiative. The staff of the Central FD (PR Georgii Poltavchenko) includes many FSB officers from St. Petersburg.
Analytical support is a special problem for many FDs. The Far East FD (PR Konstantin Pulikovskii) could not recruit the best local analysts because they were already working for Khabarovsk governor Viktor Ishayev. (1) In the Siberian FD (PR Leonid Drachevskii) the Analytical Department is headed by a former FSB officer. The PR of the Northwestern FD (Cherkesov) is much better placed in this respect, as he can rely not only on the Center for Strategic Research but also on a news agency run by his wife, the editor of a leading regional newspaper.
RELATIONS WITH PROVINCIAL GOVERNORS. Some PRs, such as Drachevskii (Siberian FD) and Poltavchenko (Central FD), have taken care to avoid confrontation with the governors. Kazantsev (Southern FD) has also cultivated the governors and represents regional interests in Moscow; his administration has replaced a defunct inter-regional association as the main meeting place for provincial and federal officials. At the other extreme, Pulikovskii (Far East FD) has very poor relations with all his governors. Other PRs, including Kirienko (Volga FD) and Petr Latyshev (Urals FD), are on good terms with some governors and poor terms with others. This combination probably indicates more effective fulfillment of their official function as representatives of the federal center in the regions.
RELATIONS WITH LOCAL BUSINESS. Pulikovskii (Far East FD) has very little contact with businessmen in his region (the most important of whom, oil oligarch Roman Abramovich, is also governor of Chukotka). As a result, he has little impact on issues of economic development. By contrast, Latyshev (Urals FD) promotes foreign investment in local firms and meets often with local businessmen, though this does not mean that he exercises a great deal of influence over them.
REGIONAL STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PLANS. Some FDs, such as the Siberian and Southern FDs, have been active in elaborating and pursuing regional plans for economic development. This has brought them into conflict with Minister for Economic Development and Trade German Gref, who has overruled regional plans that clash with his own priorities. Other FDs, such as the Central FD, have still not made any economic development plans.
NOTE
(1) Ishayev was the key figure behind the State Council's plan for national
economic development. See RAS No. 2, Item 1.
Next Article