The Coordination Council was originally conceived of as the coordinator of socio-economic stabilisation measures and continued economic reforms proposed by Nizhni Novgorod Region (Oblast).

The Coordination Council was legitimised at a joint session of the regional and city Soviet of People's Deputies and also Nizhni Novgorod Administration. It includes the Chairmen of the Soviets and the head of Nizhni Novgorod region.

The Coordination Council has been authorised to resolve social and economic policy issues in the region.

The council was originally authorised:

1. To determine the region's strategic development and adopt all requisite decisions.

2. To coordinate the activity of working groups, the apparatus of the administration and regional management bodies as part of the proposed programme.

3. To operate jointly with different regional management bodies (region-district).

4. To persuade the directors of the biggest enterprises to consider the region's most topical development issues and adopt corresponding decisions.

5. To work out tactical decisions on key problems destabilising the region's socio-political situation (liquidity crisis, settlements, grain purchases, etc.).

6. To adapt decisions taken by the federal authorities to local conditions.

The experience acquired by the Coordination Council in its two months of existence revealed that its functions could be significantly expanded and include virtually all the areas covered by the local authorities.

Such organisational activity has revealed the following advantages:

- it harmonises the activities of the legislative and executive branches, thanks to their closer mutual cooperation;

- it creates a "magnet" for the most active social strata (enterprise directors, representatives of science and culture, socio-political organisations, and religion). It lays the foundations for a policy of social concord; - it adopts decisions which are immediately formulated as resolutions of the Chairman of the Regional Soviet and the head of the administration, specifying the terms of their implementation and the executive figures;

- its daily sessions ensure the completeness and consistency of the measures implemented as part of the programme, and guarantee constant verification of their implementation.

The activities of the Coordination Council have indicated the advantages of coordinated operations by the legislative and executive base of all branches of regional management. In the current unstable socio- economic situation, such organisational forms have the greatest affect, as they can swiftly react to a constantly changing situation and draft the most effective decisions.

[up]

[previous] [CONTENTS] [next]