Factors of institutional diversity in Russia’s regions: the case of transition to a single-tier local government model in 2020–2025

The most recent wave of municipal reform in Russia was conceived as a further step toward the centralization and standardization of the country’s institutional design. Contrary to these intentions, however, the reform resulted in the persistence of significant institutional variation at the subnational level. This article examines the determinants shaping regional elites’ choices between alternative models of municipal governance-specifically, single-tier and two-tier systems-and advances a theoretical explanation for this observed diversity. The study employs a comparative case analysis of two Russian regions, Yaroslavl Oblast and the Republic of Dagestan, which exemplify divergent approaches to municipal organization. The research uses thirty semi-structured expert interviews as an empirical foundation. The analysis identifies three principal factors influencing the selection of municipal institutional models: social-settlement structures, ethnocultural configurations, and economic conditions. Beyond categorizing these factors, the article elucidates the causal mechanisms through which they shape reform outcomes, as reflected in regional choices of local governance arrangements. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the internal logic of institutional reform in Russia and offer broader insights into the determinants of asymmetric institutional design in contemporary states.

1. Aksztejn W., Lackowska M., Krukowska J., Łukasz M. The multiple faces of recentralization: a typology of central-local interactions. Journal of urban affairs. 2022, Vol. 46, N 7, P. 1329–1349.

2. Brancati D. Decentralization: fueling the fire or dampening the flames of ethnic conflict and secessionism? International organization. 2006, Vol. 60, N 3, P. 651–685.

3. Dickovick T.J. Decentralization and recentralization in the developing world: comparative studies from Africa and Latin America. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania state university press, 2011, 248 p.

4. Elazar D.J. Exploring federalism. Tuscaloosa and London: University of Alabama press, 1987, 336 p.

5. Erk J. Explaining federalism: state, society and congruence in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, and Switzerland. London and New York: Routledge, 2008, 182 p.

6. Farukshin M.Kh. Federalism: theoretical and applied aspects. Moscow: Yurist, 2004, 527 p. (In Russ.)

7. Gadzhiev K.S. Russian Federation: nation state or state of nations? Polis. Political studies. 2018, N 3, P. 130–146. (In Russ.)

8. Gerring J. Case study research: principles and practices. Cambridge: Cambridge university press, 2007, 265 p.

9. Glaser B., Strauss A. The discovery of grounded theory: strategies for qualitative research. New Brunswick; London: Aldine transaction, 2012, 282 p.

10. Golosov G.V. The regional root of electoral authoritarianism in Russia. Europe-Asia studies. 2011, Vol. 63, N 4, P. 623–639.

11. Graney K. Of Khans and Kremlins: Tatarstan and the future of ethno-federalism in Russia. Laтham: Lexington books, 2010, 226 p.

12. Hale H.E. The foundations of ethnic politics: separatism of states and nations in Eurasia and the world. Cambridge: Cambridge university press, 2008, 282 p.

13. Hooghe L., Marks G. Unraveling the central state, but how? Types of multi-level governance. American political science review. 2003, Vol. 97, N 2, P. 233–243.

14. Ibragimov M.A., Egorov V.K. Conflict-generating aspects of the land issue in Dagestan. Federalism. 2014, N 4, P. 109–122. (In Russ.)

15. Kahn J. Federalism, democratization, and the rule of law in Russia. New York: Oxford university press, 2002, 326 p. (In Russ.)

16. Kaspe S.I. Constructing a federation – Renovatio Imperii as a method of social engineering. Polis. Political studies. 2000, N 5, P. 55–69. (In Russ.)

17. Lankina T.V. Governing the locals: local self-government and ethnic mobilization in Russia. London: Rowman & Littlefield publishers, 2006, 232 p.

18. Lijphart A. Democracy in plural societies: a comparative explorations. Moscow: Aspect Press, 1997, 287 p. (In Russ.)

19. Lopez-Murcia J. Recentralisation in Colombia. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, Springer Nature Switzerland AG, 2022, 242 p.

20. Meguid В. Transferring power to maintain control: decentralization as a national-level electoral strategy in Western Europe. World politics. 2024, Vol. 76, N 1, P. 1–37.

21. Nikovskaya L.I., Yakimets V.N. Municipal public policy in the context of local self government reform. Political expertise: POLITEX. 2024, Vol. 20, N 1, P. 4–22. (In Russ.)

22. Oates W.E. Fiscal federalism. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1972, 249 p.

23. Pantin V.I., Lapkin V.V. Ethnopolitical and ethnosocial processes in the Post-Soviet space (on the example of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine). Polis. Political studies. 2015, N 5, P. 75–93. (In Russ.)

24. Reisinger W.M., Moraski B.J. The regional roots of Russia’s political regime. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan press, 2017, 320 p.

25. Rodden J. Hamilton’s paradox: the promise and peril of fiscal federalism. Cambridge: Cambridge university press, 2010, 317 p.

26. Roeder P.G. Where nation-states come from: institutional change in the age of nationalism. Princeton: Princeton university press, 2007, 440 p.

27. Ross C. Federalism and democratization in Russia. Manchester and New York: Manchester university press, 2002, 182 p.

28. Sharafutdinova G. Political consequences of crony capitalism inside Russia. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame press, 2011, 292 p.

29. Shkel S.N. Asymmetric centralization: the logic of selective reforms at the local level in contemporary Russia. Polity: analysis. Chronicle. Forecast (Journal of political philosophy and sociology of politics). 2025, Vol. 118, N 3, P. 58–79. (In Russ.)

30. Stepan A. Federalism and democracy: beyond the U.S. model. Journal of democracy. 1999, Vol. 10, N 4, P. 19–34.

31. Stoner-Weiss K. Resisting the state: reform and retrenchment in Post-Soviet Russia. Cambridge: Cambridge university press, 2006, 182 p.

32. Tishkov V.A. Ethnology and politics. Moscow: Nauka, 2001, 240 p.

33. Treisman D. After the deluge: regional crises and political consolidation in Russia. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan press, 1999, 262 p.

34. Treisman D. The architecture of government: rethinking political decentralization. Cambridge: Cambridge university press, 2007, 348 p.

35. Turovsky R.F. Russian local self-government: an agent of state power trapped in under funding and civic passivity. Polis. Political studies. 2015, N 2, P. 35–51. (In Russ.)

36. Watts R.L. Comparing federal systems. London: McGill-Queen’s university press, 2008, 205 p.

37. Weingast B.R. The economic role of political institutions: market-preserving federalism and economic development. Journal of law, economics, & organization. 1995, Vol. 11, N 1, P. 1–31.

38.