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| 17 апреля, 2013

Ratings in the Regions measured by Dynamics

Kommersant Daily publication

By Irina Nagornikh

The Foundation for the Development of Civil Society (FCSD) is preparing the launch of a new quarterly survey – a rating of development in Russian regions, taking into account some intellectual products which already exist in these areas. The long-term rating process will be ongoing and according to the head of the Foundation, Konstantin Kostin, will come in use for businesses, government and society. But real indications of the dynamics of development will only become clear in two to three years time. The Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Sergei Obukhov commented that ‘If you really want to, you can create a rating which will ensure even the best possible Governor is fired and vice-versa.’

Kommersant has received news that the FCSD, headed by the ex head of the Kremlin’s Department of Domestic Policy, Konstantin Kostin, is launching a new project. By June the FDCS will present a rating of Russian regions. The report, they say, will be objective because the following four modules will be employed: socio-political stability, statistics (Rosstat), professional media sources and expert surveys and sociology.

The FDCS will employ various modules, including those which are already in use in existing surveys in these areas. The ‘Petersburg Politics’ Foundation (which has been producing a monthly survey on the rating of political survival of governors and the socio-political stability of regions for several years now) will be helping the Foundation to prepare their report on the socio-political state of the regions. It is hoped that ‘Petersburg Politics’ will include additional parameters in their research – such as measures of investment.

The FDCS rating will divide the regions into four separate groups according to the range of the information received (on a scale of 1-10). Each group will be judged on its economic development and other important and constant factors of development. According to the head of the Foundation, Konstantin Kostin, real indications of the dynamics of development will only become clear in two to three years time. ‘It will not be possible to compare certain regions with each-other’ says Kostin ‘because the starting points – for example on economics – may be too converse. However, any territory can compete when it comes to their rate of development; even those which are in a depression.’ These ratings, said Kostin, will be useful for businesses, the government and society.

Mikhail Vinogradov, head of the ‘Petersburg Politics’ Foundation insists that the ratings between the two Foundations will not rule each-other out because the FDCS focuses on macro-economic forecasts while his Foundation focuses on ‘an operative product’. He adds that there is not much professional research being carried out at the moment in the sphere of regional politics. Those that exist include ratings from media organisations (including Medialogia and Integrum); ratings on the influence of Governors from the Agency of Political and Economic Communications; local ratings carried out by the RIA Agency and separate studies which have been made by the Ministry of Regional Development.

The Deputy Director of the Centre for Research into Russian Political Culture, Sergei Obukhov (also a State Duma Deputy) believes that when ‘the political process in the country is frozen’ it is too much to expect scientific objectivity from any sort of rating. ‘If you really want to, you can create a rating which will ensure even the best possible Governor is fired and vice-versa.’ He himself regularly reads the latest research into regional politics but says he has to ‘read between the lines to get to the truth.’