PUBLIC ACTIVITY AND SOCIAL CAPITAL: REGENERATION IN AN ARCTIC SINGLE-INDUSTRY TOWN

Abstract

The transition of Arctic single-industry towns to sustainable models of local economic and community development is a daunting task, given the mutual interdependence of the local economy and the life cycle of the town’s primary employer. To achieve sustainability, the organic co-development of social and human capital is crucial. Interaction institutions formed within the framework of social activities are key components stimulating social capital development in the local community, which in turn leads to the consolidation of the human capital in the territory. The purpose of the study is to identify social activity and social capital features within the local community of Kostomuksha Urban District as well as migration attitudes of different population groups highly important for population replacement. The study used a range of sociological, statistical, and general research methods to reveal the social practices prevailing in the community of Kostomuksha Urban District, identify and characterize the population groups that are vital for the regeneration of social capital, and compare their migration attitudes. Based on the results of the study, conclusions were drawn about the sustainability of social capital regeneration in Kostomuksha Urban District and the influence of its aspects on the consolidation of human capital. The research reveals the need for a concentrated effort by the local government to increase local sustainability by expanding social space through involving the surrounding territories and preventing institutional distortions in upward social mobility processes. The scientific novelty of the research lies in its methodological approach, which synthesizes the role-based and temporal components of social activity in the analysis of sociological research data. Also, as a new administrative entity in the Russian Arctic and a definite exception in terms of socioeconomic development of the Arctic monotowns, Kostomuksha Urban District has been previously studied to a very limited extent. The research has practical implications for devising strategic documents for regional development and socioeconomic management of single-industry towns.

Keywords

• single-industry town
• the arctic
• social capital
• human capital
• migration attitudes
• social sustainability