Neoliberalism in the North: the transformation of social policy in Russia's northern periphery

Abstract

Social policy is a vital dimension of well-being in the harsh conditions of the Russian Far North. This article examines how longstanding welfare provision in the region has been restructured within the context of nationwide social reforms under Vladimir Putin. It starts with an analysis of Soviet-era policies for northern inhabitants and their evolution during the socio-economic crisis of the 1990s. I then look at how recent changes to budgetary and federal relations in the country have affected the delivery of social assistance in the North. Ultimately, the neoliberal undertones exhibited in federal social policy may be inappropriate in the region, where markets and individuals cannot be expected to sustain well-being

Conceptualising Corporate Social Responsibility: ‘Relational Governance’ Assessed, Augmented, and Adapted

“…Historically, the inhabitants of the Russian ''Far North'' were heavily dependent on the state and state-owned enterprises for material support. The Socialist government and its enterprises provided state assistance to forcibly re-educate and settle the indigenous nomadic peoples and attracted workers from the southern regions by the means of generous salaries and benefits (Rasell 2009). Despite the significant drop in financing after the break-up of the Soviet Union, the Russian state continues to subsidise northern livelihoods and finance/control such civil society resources as community centres and newspapers (Gray 2005).…”

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“…Such entrepreneurs often took up their new occupation not because they dreamed of becoming entrepreneurs, seeking a new trajectory in the life, but because biznes seemed to be their best option for survival in the 1990s, when government salaries remained unpaid, and the social security system was drastically dismantled (cf. Rasell 2009). With a few exceptions, people did not plan to be engaged in entrepreneurship their whole lives, but wished to return to the public sector.…”

Re-colonising the Arctic: The preparation of spatial planning policy in Murmansk Oblast, Russia

“…Newspapers and propaganda films spoke of the ‘Arctic front’ and celebrated every attack ( ataka ) and assault ( nastuplenie ) on that front; they urged the country on the final conquest ( zavoevanie ) of the Arctic. (McCannon, 2003: 243–244)During the period of neoliberal reforms, the North lost its symbolic meaning for the state and for national identity (Rasell, 2009: 100). The rediscovery of the Arctic in the Russian political discourse gradually evolved during the 2000s, inspired by the overall idea that the Arctic, with its rich natural resources, could be both the economic engine and the spatial symbol of Russia's (re-)incarnation as a great and leading power.…”