Local Self-Government as a Factor of Preservation and Development of a Small Town

The authors of the article proceed from the fact that the spatial development of Russia faces problems related to the functioning of local government, which are not only preserved, but also reproduced, and the ongoing reforms of local self-government have not led to a balance of central and local authorities. The authors focus on the problems of local self-government in small towns of the Nizhny Novgorod Region (Balakhna and Zavolzhye). The article notes the fundamental importance of an expert assessment of the current model of local self-government as a form of self-organization of the daily life of citizens in cities located near regional centers and preserved city-forming enterprises. According to the authors, the choice imposed by large capital between the development of agglomerations and the degradation of small towns is unacceptable for society. Based on statistical and sociological data, the authors defend the position of the need for a comprehensive study of the consequences of their inclusion in the Nizhny Novgorod agglomeration, drawing attention to the fact that a critical approach clearly prevails in the expert assessment of the situation in Balakhna and Zavolzhye. The authors point out that the insufficient effectiveness of the LSG bodies and the weakness of their human resources is aggravated by the disappointment of a significant part of the population in the results of the transformations of recent years. It generates a lack of necessary motivation, which blocks social activity necessary for the modernization of territories and, in particular, for the preservation and development of small towns.