Crisis and stability in the mirror of the regional elite’s opinions (cases in-depth interviews)

The article examines the opinions of the regional elite on the crisis and sustainability in modern Russia. Economic and political sustainability are important conditions for the state stability. Crisis factors violate the usual institutional orders and become a challenge for the ruling elite. The empirical basis of the study is the in-depth interviews with representatives of the regional / local political, administrative and economic elite. The sample included 8 regions of the North-West Federal District of the Russian Federation. The criteria of the positional approach were used to determine the status of the respondent. A qualitative analysis of the texts revealed differences in the perception of the crisis among representatives of two sub-elite groups. Age as a criterion also revealed differences in assessments / opinions and allowed us to divide all participants into two groups of «optimists» and «skeptics». The respondents — business representatives — evaluate the consequences of the crisis painfully and the elements of sustainability very critically. In the minds of people from regional and local administrations, the crisis phenomena of the last 5 years is not assessed as a serious threat that the system will not be able to cope with without significant losses. Sustainability indicators do not cause concern.