Scientific publications

Article deals with sociological survey results of two respondents types (foreign labour
migrants and local community) within five Russian Arctic regions (Yamalo-Nenetsky autonomous
district, Chukotksy autonomous district, Republic of Karelia, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Murmansk
region). Survey results of foreign labour migrants made it possible to create a foreign labour migrant
profile in the Russian Arctic: - it is a man with a secondary vocational education. Survey results of
local community in the Russian Arctic made it possible to calculate both Conflict Index and Tolerance
Index in relation to five Russian Arctic regions. It turned out that Conflict Index is still quite high at
Republic of Karelia and Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). More peaceful situation takes place at Chukotka
Autonomous District and Murmanskya oblast. Both empirical study and its theoretical generalization
revealed foreign labour migrants’ integration issues in the Arctic as well as what might happen when
social climate fluctuates.
The goal of this article is to identify opportunities for cooperation between local communities and
foreign labour migrants in the Arctic taking into account socio-economic and ethnic traits of Russian
Arctic regions. Based on sociological toolkit identifying some tension areas a theoretical rationale was
formulated in order to demonstrate how foreign labour migrants’ integration in the Arctic regions
occurs and what might happen when social climate fluctuates. A structural model determining
interethnic conflicts likelihood was also applied for predictive evaluation.
Keywords: Russian Arctic, foreign labour migration, inter-ethnic relations, Conflict Index, Tolerance
Index,human capital, local communities