Local self-government in Russian small towns: development models (on the example of the Tver Region)

The subject of the research of this article is the analysis of models of development of local self-government in small towns of modern Russia and the identification of the self-governing potential of their residents. The study of models of the territorial organization of local self-government and methods of formation of municipal government bodies allows us to identify trends in the evolution of the local self-government system, to determine their nature. The study of the ideas of residents of Russian small towns about the models of local self-government and the attitudes of citizens to participate in solving local problems allows us to identify the socio-cultural foundations of the processes unfolding in modern municipalities. The object of the study is residents of small towns in the Tver region. The methods of document analysis, statistical data analysis, and survey methods were used. The data of sociological monitoring carried out in the Tver region in 2018-2020 by the method of formalized interviewing are presented. В  The models of the territorial organization of local self-government in small towns are investigated, the degree of prevalence of elective procedures for the formation of municipal bodies is studied. The ideas of the population of small towns about the nature of local self-government and its place in the management system of Russian society are analyzed, the attitude of citizens to various models of territorial organization of local self-government and ways of electing the head of the municipality is studied, the nature of the attitudes of citizens to participate in self-governing practices is revealed. A special contribution of the authors to the study of the topic is the analysis of the prevalence of various models of local self-government in small towns, taking into account their spatial and geographical location, resource characteristics and the level of self-governing potential of the population. The information obtained can be used by state and municipal authorities in the process of forming municipal management systems and organizing work with the population to involve them in self-governing practices.