Application of functional overlapping competing jurisdictions concept to inter-municipal cooperation in the Russian school sector

Abstract

Purpose: The article investigates a possiblity for the Russian municipalities to cooperate providing school services under the conditions of declining birth rate and state financing of school education. Discussion: The author makes an attempt to apply the concept of Functional Overlapping Competing Jurisdictions (FOCJ) to Russia, testing it via the interviews with local and regional authorities responsible for school administration, headmasters of schools and parents. Results: Main FOCJ features are identified in the institutional environment of the Russian school sector. Moreover, the list of FOCJ requirements to the Russian school education sector has been elaborated and discussed in the paper.