Institutional Mechanisms of Intermunicipal Interaction in the Conditions of Post-Conflict Development of Territories (On the Example of the Dpr)

The article is devoted to the study of institutional mechanisms of inter-municipal interaction in the context of post-conflict transformation using the example of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). The key problems of the Russian practice of inter-municipal cooperation are analyzed, including an insufficient regulatory framework, the prevalence of formal associations over real business associations, financial and organizational limitations. In the context of the DPR, these problems are aggravated by the consequences of the military conflict, the destruction of infrastructure, economic disintegration and the complexities of integration processes. An institutional mechanism of inter-municipal interaction is proposed, including regulatory, organizational, financial, economic and social-communication components. Particular attention is paid to the need to adopt a specialized law on inter-municipal cooperation, the creation of the Association of Municipalities of the DPR, the formation of the Fund for the Development of Inter-Municipal Projects and the introduction of joint financing mechanisms.