Regional Decision-Making in the Context of a Pandemic: Speed vs Cost Assessment

The paper deals with Russian experience of regional decision-making in the context of a pandemic. The research aims to investigate approaches to decision-making in Russian regions. Research tasks are to systematize the types of regional pandemic policy and to identify approaches to a regulatory impact assessment in the context of a pandemic. The main research method is regional comparative analysis. The authors analyzed the processes of introducing and removing regional restrictions in the context of the pandemic in Russia. The result is a selection of 4 types of regional pandemic policy. The analysis of regional procedures of a regulatory impact assessment showed that changes in procedures were made in individual regions to adapt the order to pandemic conditions and to preserve the legitimacy of decision-making. Speed of regional decision-making in the context of a pandemic win cost assessment in most regions. The research results have practical significance for improving public administration in the regions today in the face of the continuing threat of the spread of the epidemic and for an effective response to pandemic shocks in the future.