Problems and Prospects for the Development of the Municipal Infrastructure Management System in the Russian Federation

Abstract

In modern conditions, the solution of the national development tasks of the Russian Federation, aimed primarily at ensuring the high level and quality of life of the population, is constrained by the inefficiency of the functioning of communal infrastructure systems. The high wear and tear of its networks and facilities, as well as the lack of effective management, pose many challenges. The root cause of these problems is in a contradictory system of government, in which municipal authorities, most interested (by their nature) in solving them, are deprived of the necessary resources and opportunities for making effective decisions. The preservation of the situation may lead in the medium term to significant budgetary costs for the restoration of serviceability and the development of communal infrastructure against the background of a further decrease in the quality of infrastructure services. There was a need to change the approach to addressing the problems. The article proposes this kind of approach, based on the redistribution of powers and giving local governments real opportunities to influence the management of communal infrastructure.