The legal basis for local self-government reform in Russia and Moldova
The article analyses modern legal methods used by the post-Soviet states to improve the performance of local representative bodies of self-government. The experience of the Republic of Moldova and the Russian Federation in the period after gaining their independence (1991) is used as an example. The author reimagines the formation of the Russian and Moldovan systems of local government, thus showing that the process was attended by a radical breakdown of the former command and administrative structures and by the widespread introduction, too hasty at times, of new forms of the state power and governance, specifically, at the local level. The article delves into the successful and unsuccessful attempts of the Moldovan and Russian leadership to increase the performance of local representative authorities. In particular, the author focuses on identifying, systematizing and conducting a comprehensive analysis of the typical for the post-Soviet states conflicts between different levels of the power and administration, which the author believes are primarily caused by the distribution of power and the management of financial resources. Finally, the author attempts to put in perspective the prospects for the development and performance increase of local representative bodies in Moldova and Russia in the wake of the recent global crisis trends.