Fostering private – public partnerships in the transition economies: HELCOM as a system of implementation review

Economic chaos, legislative and regulatory turmoil, and institutional upheaval have presented significant challenges for environmental protection implementation during the transition period of the formerly centrally planned economies. Russia’s efforts to achieve compliance with Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) environmental guidelines are examined from the perspective of water resources planning in St Petersburg, the largest urban polluting source on the Baltic Sea. I focus on the case of the first private – public partnership at a public water authority in Russia. Water resources planning in St Petersburg is analyzed through the lens of the theoretical framework of systems of implementation review in order to assess how socioeconomic, institutional, and management changes have shaped water resources planning and environmental protection implementation in a transition economy. The broader issue of accumulation of social capital with foreign donors and investors is an important part of the pursuit of HELCOM compliance and environmental protection implementation by St Petersburg’s city leaders and managers.