Online Presentation of the Monograph “Local Governance and Public Wellbeing: Comparing Russian and German Examples”

In the framework of the Days of Germany in Petrozavodsk, the collective monograph “Local Governance and Public Wellbeing: Comparing Russian and German Examples /eds” .: R. Frankenberger, E. Chernenkova. – Baden-Baden, Germany: Nomos, 2020 has been presented online as a result of a joint project of the research groupsof PetrSU and the University of Tübingennamed after Karl Eberhard.
In the framework of the Days of Germany in Petrozavodsk, the collective monograph Local Governance and Public Wellbeing: Comparing Russian and German Examples /eds .: R. Frankenberger, E. Chernenkova. – Baden-Baden, Germany: Nomos, 2020 has been presented online as a result of a joint project of the research groupsof PetrSU and the University of Tübingennamed after Karl Eberhard.

The meeting was organized with participation of teachers of the Institute of History, Political and Social Sciences, employees of the Scientific Library of PetrSU, executive director of the Karelian public diplomacy development foundation.

This is the second monograph prepared by an international team of professors and students from the Department of World History, Political Science and International Relations and Department of Sociology and Social Work, whose activities have been coordinated for several years by Rolf Frankenberger, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Political Research of the University of Tübingen named after Karl Eberhard, and Elena Chernenkova, Associate Professor at the Department of World History, Political Science and International Relations of PetrSU. Summarizing the research results, both monographs have been published in a series of works of the European Center for Research on Federalism with the financial support of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

During the online presentation, the Russian project coordinators Elena Chernenkova, Associate Professor at the Department of Foreign History, Political Science and International Relations of the Institute of History, Political and Social Sciences of PetrSU, and Natalia Lavrushina, Executive Director of the Karelian public diplomacy development foundation, spoke about the background of the project and the preparation of the book.

The collective of authors included YuliaPetrovskaya, Associate Professor of the Department of Sociology and Social Work of the Institute of History, Political and Social Sciences of PetrSU, who prepared thearticle on the analysis of the role of public participation in the social innovations implementation, Denis Sachuk, Senior Researcher of the Department of Sociology and Social Work of the Institute of History, Political and Social Sciences of PetrSU, who reviewed the challenges of creative urban spaces in Russia and the role of the middle class in these processes. The book also contains the works of university Bachelor’s and Master’s degree students, two of them participated in the presentation: Kirill Fitisov spoke about the innovative potential of young people in the processes of social and economic development of Karelia, the research of Ekaterina Shestakovawas devoted to the role of twinning and social creativity in the modern cities development.

Researchers and public activists, members of the Public Chamber of the Republic of Karelia joined the presentation of the book. Maria Pitukhina, outlined the main results of the project “Live, study and work in Karelia”, and AnatoliiTsygankov prepared the article on describing the experience of organizing territorial public administration in Karelia.

Employees of the University of Tübingen named after Karl Eberhard also participated in the presentation. The monograph includes the article of Stuart Gold co-authored with Carmen Tamm, who examine the role of trade unions in the public services supply at the local governance level in Germany.

Representatives of public organizations and students in “Political Science” and “Social Work” of the Institute of History, Political and Social Sciences of PetrSU attended the presentation.

German project coordinatorDr. Rolf Frankenberger, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Political Research at the University of Tübingen named after Karl Eberhard, noted that one of the project aims was to get to know each other’s experience, recognize and establish mechanism for joint work. In the present circumstances, representatives of the academic communities need to think about how to maintain academic ties, continue to study the social well-being issues, social processes development and the problems of managing these processes.

“Certainly, the opportunities of online communication should be used to maintain and develop existing contacts”,

– believe the participants of the meeting.

The book Local Governance and Public Wellbeing: Comparing Russian and German Examples is available in the Scientific Library of PetrSU, as well as in the National Library of the Republic of Karelia.