Factors of carrier promotion for regional and local officials in Russia: Evidence from large-scale list experiment

Abstract

Support for the government depends on the capacity of authorities to respond to the citizens’ demand, tied to public service quality and incentives for lower and middlelevel officials. We argue that cases of “good enough governance” may be found within the Russian system of public administration. Investigating the factors influencing carrier promotion of bureaucrats, we made a survey with a list experiment in one of the ordinary Russian regions. Results showed that personal performance was perceived as the top factor of career promotion, whereas personal connections were ranked lower. These meritocratic tendencies may have contributed to the resilience of the Russian economy in 2022-2023.