Theory and Practice of Assessing the Efficiency of Urban Agglomeration Administration Abroad and in Russia (a Case Study of Chelyabinsk Oblast)

The efficiency of urban agglomeration administration has so far not been an object of close attention for researchers. The article proposes to evaluate it with respect to the contractual administration model based on three components, i.e., evaluate the overall efficiency of administering the development of the agglomeration as the degree of achievement of the goals of agglomeration interaction, the political efficiency of making and implementing decisions, and the managerial efficiency of implementing agglomeration projects. The approach is theoretically substantied, and the results of a study of the efficiency of agglomeration administration are presented with a case study of the agglomerations of Chelyabinsk oblast. Summarizing the results of the study based on the above three components, the authors conclude the following. First, in a broad sense, the goal of development of an agglomeration (and its administration) is to strengthen the competitiveness of the agglomeration in global, national, or at least large interregional markets and to increase its contribution to development of the economy and society. Second, efficiency (making and implementing decisions) under conditions of the contractual model of agglomeration administration implies a key role of the coordinating body, which consists in finding and achieving a balance of interests of the participants, preparing and agreeing on draft decisions, and monitoring and controlling their implementation. In fact, the efficiency of agglomeration administration is closely related to the efficiency of the coordinating body. Third, the efficiency (more precisely, success) of agglomeration administration by assessing the implementation of agglomeration projects, in turn, depends on the chosen mechanisms and forms for carrying out such projects. Analysis of the Russian practice of urban agglomeration administration, with a case study of Chelyabinsk oblast (the Chelyabinsk agglomeration and Gorny Ural agglomeration), made it possible to test these theoretical conclusions.