Socio-economic restructuring of a peripheral mining community in the Russian North

In the changed socio-economic environment after the collapse of the Soviet Union, resource peripheries and single-industry communities of the Russian North faced significant socio-economic problems that required them to engage in restructuring and economic diversification. This research presents a case study that examines development priorities and options for socio-economic restructuring in the peripheral Russian single-industry mining community of Kovdor located in the Murmansk region. Empirically, the research is based on a survey that has been complemented with interviews. The resultant data is analyzed with quantitative methods. The study develops and tests a new theoretical framework, which examines local development in Russian peripheral resource communities. This theoretical approach emphasizes the role of localized development as a result of complex interaction between different actors. The results of the study show that, despite the aspirations for diversification, foreseeable economic development in the community is dependent on the mining industry. The results and theoretical approach of the study provides the ground for further research and theoretical discussions on the development of resource communities in the Russian North.