Motivation high school students to pass rules "Ready for labor and defense" and the problem of their training

The article deals with the organization of training high school students for passing TRP norms: the problems of motivation and problems successfully passing standardsВ статье раскрыты вопросы организации подготовки старшеклассников к сдаче норм ГТО: проблемы мотивации и проблемы подговки к успешной сдаче нор

Sustainable Development Governance in the Arctic Regions (Review of International Approaches and Research)

The article provides an overview of studies devoted to governance in the field of sustainable development of the Arctic regions. The work highlights such general approaches to the analysis of sustainable development as the concept of adaptive governance and resilience theory. Global governance institutions that operate in the Arctic are considered. Particular attention is paid to the Arctic Council and the constraints connected with its work. The article also describes non-state governance in the field of natural resources management and social sphere. Special attention is paid to the marine certification system (MSC), which has become widespread in the Arctic, as well as the benefit sharing arrangements between extractive companies and the Indigenous people of the North. In conclusion, the efficiency of the governance institutions is discussed in the context of achieving sustainable development goals

The Environmental Agenda in the Election Programs of Russian Political Parties

The article is devoted to the study of environmental agenda in the Russian political field on the example of the analysis of the election programs of Russian political parties. The study analyzes the factors and features of the inclusion of the environmental issues in the political programs of Russian political parties. The main environmental problems raised by political parties and the dynamics of its considering were highlighted, and the specific of their discursive representation were analyzed. The study revealed the following features of the appeal of political actors to environmental issues: techno-utopianism as an unconditional belief in “green technologies” that does not imply major institutional changes; eco-populism, manifested in the connection of environmental problems with more popular social issues; ritualization as a formal mention of the “green” agenda, which does not receive careful consideration. Special attention was paid to the (un)formation of the climate agenda in Russia, which showed the limitations of the global process influence on the Russian political agenda. The study was carried out on the basis of a qualitative methodology

Global Standards and Benefit Sharing among Russian and Transnational Oil Companies on Sakhalin Island

This article compares benefit sharing arrangements set up between indigenous people and Russian and transnational oil companies. It demonstrates that Russian oil companies interact with indigenous communities in a paternalistic way, while transnational consortiums, operated by Sakhalin Energy and Exxon Neftegaz Limited, use the partnership mode of benefit sharing. Typically, both kinds of firms set up tripartite partnerships involving companies, indigenous peoples and the state. The paternalistic model of benefit sharing overall provides few opportunities for indigenous peoples to participate in the distribution of funds, and thereby offers little procedural equity. In terms of distributional equity, it is hard to compare Russian companies with their transnational counterparts as the different companies cover different aspects of indigenouspeoples’ well being. Russian companies are involved mostly in building social infrastructure, while transnational firms support indigenous entrepreneurship and the revitalization of indigenous subsistence lifestyle, languages and cultures

Between Oil and Reindeer : Benefit Sharing Agreements between Oil Companies and Indigenous People in Russian Arctic and Subarctic Regions

This research provides insight into various modes of benefit-sharing agreements between oil and gas companies and indigenous people in the Russian Arctic and Subarctic regions. We indicate three main modes of benefit sharing, as follows: (1) paternalism, (2) corporate social responsibility, and (3) partnership. The paternalistic mode is characterized by a hierarchical type of interaction, which implies a patron and clients. This system of obligations is based on practices of informal interaction, and the decision-making process is neither formal, nor transparent. The mode of corporate social responsibility aims to raise investment attractiveness and the productive efficiency of the company, supporting its image as a socially responsible operator. In this mode, the key decisions are made by the company executives in view of state legislation, corporate policies, international standards, and investors’ demands. Finally, the partnership mode suggests equal opportunities for dialogue and decision making for all sides involved — the state authorities, companies, local people, and experts. It is based on global standards that protect the rights of local indigenous communities. This work examines the factors that influence those modes and their efficiency. It asks what is most important in their making: Is it regional specifics, dependency from international actors, details of corporate policies, or the level of local community organization? What instruments of benefit sharing turn out to be most favorable in the Russian context? Our research was conducted using qualitative research methods in three regions of Russia (Nenets Autonomous Okrug [NAO], Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, and Sakhalin). The article is based on the materials of several field expeditions to NAO in 2011 and 2017, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug in 2014, and Sakhalin in 2013 and 2015. The main sources for analysis were interviews with representatives of oil companies, authorities, indigenous peoples, and the expert community. A total of 130 semi-structured interviews were conducted. In addition, we used materials from observation and document analysis (Russian legislation, international standards, and corporate reports)

Civil Society under the Law ‘On Foreign Agents’ : NGO Strategies and Network Transformation

This essay analyses how the ‘foreign agent’ law has been interpreted and implemented by the Russian authorities and examines diverse NGO survival strategies in response to the ‘foreign agent’ label. The foreign agent law has disrupted and transformed resource mobilisation strategies and transnational NGO networks. Based on qualitative research on environmental NGOs, we offer a typology of NGO responses to the foreign agent law, providing examples to show how the organisations attempt to ensure their survival

Who benefits? How interest-convergence shapes benefit-sharing and indigenous rights to sustainable livelihoods in Russia

The paper examines interactions of oil companies and reindeer herders in the tundra of the Russian Arctic. We focus on governance arrangements that have an impact on the sustainability of oil production and reindeer herding. We analyze a shift in benefit-sharing arrangements between oil companies and Indigenous Nenets reindeer herders in Nenets Autonomous Okrug (NAO), Russia, as an evolution of the herders’ rights, defined as the intertwined co-production of legal processes, ideologies, and power relations. Semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and document analysis demonstrate that in NAO, benefit-sharing shifted from paternalism (dependent on herders’ negotiation skills) to company-centered social responsibility (formalized compensation rules). This shift was enabled by the adoption of a formal methodology for calculating income lost due to extractive projects and facilitated by the regional government’s efforts to develop reindeer-herding. While laws per se did not change, herders’ ability to access compensation and markets increased. This paper shows that even when ideologies of indigeneity are not influential, the use of existing laws and convergence of the government’s and Indigenous groups’ economic interests may shift legal processes and power relations toward greater rights for Indigenous groups.</p