Challenges and potential of monotowns: a systematic literature review

Taşkın Dirsehan, Nursultan Shurenov, Nataliya Tovma, Zhanna Kozhamkulova, Zauresh Akhmetova

Abstract


Relevance. Monotowns, or single-industry settlements, are pivotal in the economic and social landscapes of former Soviet countries. This systematic literature review explores monotowns, examining their evolution, challenges and implications of these unique urban formations from the 18th century to the present day. The study’s relevance lies in its comprehensive analysis of these towns, which have been significant yet underexplored in academic discourse.
Research objective. The objective of this review is to critically examine the multifaceted nature of monotowns, focusing on their socio-economic dynamics, challenges, and potential transformation. The review aims to elucidate the complex interplay of economic, social, and political factors that shape these towns and to identify unexplored areas in this field of study.
Data and Methods. To achieve these objectives, the study employs a systematic review protocol comprising four phases: search query, document type, publication stage, and language. This approach involves analyzing a wide range of sources from international and regional databases, ensuring a holistic view of monotowns that captures both historical and contemporary perspectives.
Results. Monotowns exhibit considerable resilience amidst economic fluctuations and confront distinct socio-economic challenges, including issues specific to mining monotowns and issues related to public health. The findings underscore the importance of adaptive strategies, corporate social responsibility, and proactive government intervention in addressing these challenges.
Conclusion. This review provides a comprehensive exploration of monotowns, contributing valuable insights for future research, particularly in understanding their socio-economic dynamics and the challenges they face. The study is significant for scholars in economic development of the territories and business studies, offering a foundation for further exploration of these unique urban formations.


Keywords


monotowns, single-industry towns, company towns, single industry, systematic literature review, bibliometric analysis

Full Text:

PDF

References


Agrawal, A., Cockburn, I., & Rosell, C. (2010). Not invented here? Innovation in company towns. Journal of Urban Economics, 67(1), 78-89. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jue.2009.10.004

Alanen, A. R. (1977). The rise and demise of a company town. The Professional Geographer, 29(1), 32-39. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0033-0124.1977.00032.x

Alissa, R. (2013). The oil town of Ahmadi since 1946: from colonial town to nostalgic city. Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, 33(1), 41-58. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1215/1089201X-2072712

Antipova, E. A., & Titov, A. (2016). The Single-Industry Towns of Belarus: Differences in Demographic and Economic Development. Journal of Settlements & Spatial Planning, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.19188/03JSSP022016

Asanova, G., & Nurseitova, G. (2022). Analysis of development programs for mono-towns in the republic of Kazakhstan. Central Asian Economic Review(1), 73-85. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.52821/2789-4401-2022-1-73-85

Averkieva, K., Antonov, E., Denisov, E., & Faddeev, A. (2015). Territorial structure of the urban system in the northern Sverdlovsk oblast. Regional Research of Russia, 5, 349-361. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1134/s2079970515040036

Barnes, T. J., Hayter, R., & Hay, E. (2001). Stormy weather: cyclones, Harold Innis, and Port Alberni, BC. Environment and Planning A, 33(12), 2127-2147. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1068/a34187

Beleva, S., Veterinarov, V., Kozlyakov, G., & Suchkova, O. (2021). Priority development areas as a tool for enterprises support in Russian monotowns. Finance: Theory and Practice, 25(6), 54-67. https://doi.org/ https://doi.org/10.26794/2587-5671-2021-25-6-54-67

Blam, I., Vitálišová, K., Borseková, K., & Sokolowicz, M. (2016). Peculiarities of corporate social responsibility development in the monotowns in post-communist countries. Social Responsibility Journal, 12(3), 463-483. https://doi.org/ https://doi.org/10.1108/srj-07-2015-0099

Bonner, P., & Shapiro, K. A. (1993). Company town, company estate: Pilgrim's Rest, 1910–1932. Journal of Southern African Studies, 19(2), 171-200. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/03057079308708356

Bosker, M. (2022). City origins. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 94, 103677. https://doi.org/ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2021.103677

Carlson, D. R. (2023). The Materiality of Anti-Japanese Racism:“Foreignness” and Racialization at Barneston, Washington (1898-1924). In Charting the Emerging Field of Japanese Diaspora Archaeology (pp. 115-146). Springer. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-1129-5_6

Cloete, J., & Marais, L. (2021). Mine housing in the South African coalfields: The unforeseen consequences of post-apartheid policy. Housing Studies, 36(9), 1388-1406. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2020.1769038

Collazo, A. A. (2020). Preservation of company towns in Mexico. Fourteenth International Conference on Urban Regeneration and Sustainability,

Cooley, W. (2014). Communism, the cold war, and a company town: the rise and fall of UE Local 709. Labor History, 55(1), 67-96. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/0023656x.2013.843839

Crossan, M. M., & Apaydin, M. (2010). A multi‐dimensional framework of organizational innovation: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of management studies, 47(6), 1154-1191. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2009.00880.x

English-Lueck, J. (2000). Silicon Valley reinvents the company town. Futures, 32(8), 759-766. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/s0016-3287(00)00026-4

Evans, D. (1907). The Social Work of a Church in a Factory Town. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 30(3), 75-80. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/000271620703000309

Fink, A. (2019). Conducting research literature reviews: From the internet to paper. Sage publications.

Fomin, M., Bezverbny, V., Shushpanova, I., Mikryukov, N., Lukashenko, E., & Miriazov, T. (2020). Company Towns of the Siberia and Russian Far East: Potential and Development Prospects. Public administration issues(1), 137-165. https://ideas.repec.org/a/nos/vgmu00/2020i1p137-165.html

Gunko, M., Kinossian, N., Pivovar, G., Averkieva, K., & Batunova, E. (2021). Exploring agency of change in small industrial towns through urban renewal initiatives. Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography, 103(3), 218-234. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/04353684.2020.1868947

Ivanova, M. V. (2021). Demographic contraction as an indicator of the problems of single-industry municipalities. Population and Economics, 5(2), 76-91. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3897/popecon.5.e65661

Ivanova, O. P., Trifonov, V. A., & Nesteruk, D. N. (2018). Crucial factors providing sustainable development of industrial clusters in a priority social and economic development area of single-industry towns. Revista espacios, 39(26). https://www.revistaespacios.com/a18v39n26/18392626.html

Jafari, M. (2013). Oil Estates, First Garden Estates of Iran. Life Science Journal, 10(1). https://www.lifesciencesite.com/lsj/life1001/

Josephson, P. R. (2014). The conquest of the Russian Arctic. Harvard University Press.

Keeling, A. (2010). ‘Born in an atomic test tube’: landscapes of cyclonic development at Uranium City, Saskatchewan. The Canadian Geographer/Le Géographe canadien, 54(2), 228-252. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1541-0064.2009.00294.x

Keys, H., Gonzales, M., De Rochars, M. B., Blount, S., & Noland, G. S. (2018). Building trust through lymphatic filariasis elimination: a platform to address social exclusion and human rights in the Dominican Republic. Health and Human Rights, 20(1), 41. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6039740/

Keys, H. M., Noland, G. S., De Rochars, M. B., Blount, S., & Gonzales, M. (2019). Prevalence of malaria and lymphatic filariasis in bateyes of the Dominican Republic. Infectious diseases of poverty, 8(03), 43-55. https://doi.org/ttps://doi.org/10.1186/s40249-019-0547-3

Keys, H. M., Noland, G. S., De Rochars, M. B., Taylor, T. H., Blount, S., & Gonzales, M. (2019). Perceived discrimination in bateyes of the Dominican Republic: results from the Everyday Discrimination Scale and implications for public health programs. BMC Public Health, 19, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7773-2

Khvan, M., & Bulkina, A. (2018). On the approach to the analysis of socio-economic development of single-industry towns. Bulletin of NSUU, 4, 86-101.

Krahn, H., & Gartrell, J. W. (1983). Labour market segmentation and social mobility in a Canadian single‐industry community. Canadian Review of Sociology/Revue canadienne de sociologie, 20(3), 322-345. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-618X.1983.tb00904.x

Littell, J. H., Corcoran, J., & Pillai, V. (2008). Systematic reviews and meta-analysis. Oxford University Press.

Littlewood, D. (2014). ‘Cursed’communities? Corporate social responsibility (CSR), company towns and the mining industry in Namibia. Journal of business ethics, 120, 39-63. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1649-7

Maksimova, D. (2015). Russian monotowns.

Malyy, V. (2020). Russian Innovation Monotowns: Positive Experience in Socio-Economic Development. Bulletin of the volga region Institute of Administration, 20(5). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.22394/1682-2358-2020-5-40-48

Marais, L., McKenzie, F. H., Deacon, L., Nel, E., van Rooyen, D., & Cloete, J. (2018). The changing nature of mining towns: Reflections from Australia, Canada and South Africa. Land use policy, 76, 779-788. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.03.006

Martín-Martín, A., Orduna-Malea, E., Thelwall, M., & López-Cózar, E. D. (2018). Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus: A systematic comparison of citations in 252 subject categories. Journal of informetrics, 12(4), 1160-1177. https://doi.org/ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2018.09.002

Moher, D., Shamseer, L., Clarke, M., Ghersi, D., Liberati, A., Petticrew, M., Shekelle, P., & Stewart, L. A. (2015). Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 statement. Systematic reviews, 4(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1186/2046-4053-4-1

Musina, L., & Neucheva, M. (2018). Role of the state in solving the environmental problems of the industrial monoprofile cities. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science,

Nefedova, T., & Treivish, A. (2021). Uneven development of old industrial regions in the Middle Urals. Regional Research of Russia, 11(2), 151-164. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1134/s207997052102012x

Nikiforova, O., Tarando, E., Mishalchenko, Y., Borisov, A., Pruel, N., & Malinina, T. (2018). Strategies for cooperation between business and higher education for attracting graduates to a large enterprise of an international corporation in the conditions of a Russian monotown. Espacios, 39(10), 26-31. https://www.revistaespacios.com/a18v39n10/18391026.html

Nurzhan, A. (2015). Specifics of labor market of monotowns in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Asian Social Science, 11(19), 257. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v11n19p257

Phillimore, P., & Bell, P. (2005). Trust and risk in a German chemical town. Ethnos, 70(3), 311-334. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/00141840500294367

Pranckutė, R. (2021). Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus: The titans of bibliographic information in today’s academic world. Publications, 9(1), 12. https://doi.org/ttps://doi.org/10.3390/publications9010012

Prishchepa, E. (2019). Models of the development of single-industry cities in the republic of Khakassia: Socio-economic prospects and the role of small business. Bulletin of Omsk University. Economics Series(4), 138-148. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/modeli-razvitiya-monogorodov-v-respublike-hakasiya-sotsialno-ekonomicheskie-perspektivy-i-rol-malogo-predprinimatelstva

Pyatsheva, E. N. (2019). The functioning features of single-industry towns in Russia. ВЕСТНИК РГГУ, 19. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.28995/2073-6304-2019-2-18-34

Pyzheva, Y. I. (2020). Sustainable development of single-industry towns in Siberia and the Russian Far East: what is the price of regional economic growth? https://doi.org/10.17516/1997-1370-0591

Rama, M., & Scott, K. (1999). Labor earnings in one-company towns: theory and evidence from Kazakhstan. The World Bank Economic Review, 13(1), 185-209. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1093/wber/13.1.185

Rastvortseva, S. N., & Manaeva, I. V. (2016). Single-industry towns in the system of location of productive forces of the regions of the Russian Federation. Issues of territorial development(5 (35)), 3. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/monogoroda-v-sisteme-razmescheniya-proizvoditelnyh-sil-regionov-rf

Rees, A. (2012). Nineteenth-century planned industrial communities and the role of aesthetics in spatial practices: the visual ideologies of Pullman and Port Sunlight. Journal of Cultural Geography, 29(2), 185-214. https://doi.org/ttps://doi.org/10.1080/08873631.2012.680816

Rego, R. L., & Meneguetti, K. S. (2008). British urban form in twentieth-century Brazil. Urban morphology, 12(1), 25-34. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.51347/jum.v12i1.3940

Robinson, D., & Wilkinson, D. (1995). Sense of community in a remote mining town: Validating a neighborhood cohesion scale. American Journal of Community Psychology, 23, 137-148. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02506926

Roemer, K. F., & Haggerty, J. H. (2022). The energy transition as fiscal rupture: Public services and resilience pathways in a coal company town. Energy Research & Social Science, 91, 102752. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2022.102752

Rollwagen, K. (2007). When ghosts hovered: Community and crisis in a company town, Britannia Beach, British Columbia, 1957-1965. Urban History Review, 35(2), 25-36. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.7202/1015919ar

Ryser, L., Markey, S., & Halseth, G. (2020). Scaling up and scaling down supply chains in volatile resource-based economies. Local Economy, 35(8), 831-851. https://doi.org/ttps://doi.org/10.1177/0269094221993439

Sanchez, A. (2012). Deadwood and paternalism: rationalizing casual labour in an Indian company town. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 18(4), 808-827. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9655.2012.01793.x

Satybaldina, E. V. (2013). Specific character of life of modern urals monotown. Middle east journal of scientific research, 17(7), 982-985. https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=21901095

Satybaldina, E. V. (2015). Monotowns in Russia and in other Countries: Similiarities and Differences. Journal of Advanced Research in Law and Economics (JARLE), 6(12), 371-379. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=514517

Schoors, K., & Weill, L. (2020). Politics and banking in Russia: The rise of Putin. Post-Soviet Affairs, 36(5-6), 451-474. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/1060586x.2020.1785245

Scott, R., & Bennett, E. (2015). Branding resources: extractive communities, industrial brandscapes and themed environments. Work, employment and society, 29(2), 278-294. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017013519844

Shastitko, A., & Fatikhova, A. (2015). Monotowns: a new take on the old problem. Baltic region(1), 4-24. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5922/2079-8555-2015-1-1

Shkvarikov, V., Haucke, M., & Smirnova, O. (1964). The building of new towns in the USSR. Ekistics, 18(108), 307-319. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43616699

Sicotte, D. (2009). Power, profit and pollution: The persistence of environmental injustice in a company town. Human Ecology Review, 141-150. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24707538

Solecki, W. D. (1996). Paternalism, pollution and protest in a company town. Political Geography, 15(1), 5-20. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/0962-6298(95)00001-1

Storey, K., & Hall, H. (2018). Dependence at a distance: Labour mobility and the evolution of the single industry town. The Canadian Geographer/Le Géographe canadien, 62(2), 225-237. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/cag.12390

Stuvøy, K., & Shirobokova, I. (2022). Multiscalar entanglements in the post-socialist city: monotown restructuring, spatial re-ordering and urban inequality in Russia. Eurasian Geography and Economics, 63(5), 625-652. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/15387216.2021.1944246

Suchek, N., Fernandes, C. I., Kraus, S., Filser, M., & Sjögrén, H. (2021). Innovation and the circular economy: A systematic literature review. Business Strategy and the Environment, 30(8), 3686-3702. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2834

Sundström, A. C., & Hyder, A. S. (2008). Local management response to corporative restructuring: A case study of a company town. Business and Society Review, 113(3), 375-402. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8594.2008.00325.x

Sunseri, C. K. (2020). Archaeologies of working-class culture and collective action. International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 24, 183-202. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10761-019-00508-9

Taizhanov, L., Makhanbetova, U., Myrzaliev, B., Azretbergenova, G., & Saparova, A. (2016). Improving the Efficiency of Socio-Economic Development of Monotowns in the Republic of Kazakhstan based on the Development Strategies. Journal of Applied Economic Sciences, 11(5), 43. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=534277

Tiller, R. G., Ross, A. D., & Nyman, E. (2022). Social capital and institutional complexity in Svalbard: The case of avalanche disaster management. Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, 31(4), 425-439. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm-05-2021-0168

Turgel, I., Bozhko, L., & Xu, L. (2016). Government support of single-industry towns in Russia and Kazakhstan. Finance: Theory and Practice, 20(2), 22-32. https://doi.org/ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2016.09.085

Turgel, I., & Zinovyeva, V. (2017). About Criteria for Determining the Core Enterprises in the Single-Industry Towns (Russian and Foreign Experience). Corporate Governance and Innovative Economic Development of the North: Bulletin of Research Center of Corporate Law, Management and Venture Investment of Syktyvkar State University(4), 51-60. https://vestnik-ku.ru/en/archive/2017-en/issue-4-2017-en/15-publikatsii/272-about-criteria-for-determining-the-core-enterprises-in-the-single-industry-towns-russian-and-foreign-experience

Uzakova, S., Ospanova, A., & Uzak, G. (2022). Features of regional development projects problems: analysis based on central Kazakhstan monotowns. Central Asian Economic Review(2), 104-115. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.52821/2789-4401-2022-2-104-115

van der Watt, P., & Marais, L. (2019). Normalising mining company towns in Emalahleni, South Africa. The Extractive Industries and Society, 6(4), 1205-1214. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2019.11.008

Van Eck, N. J., & Waltman, L. (2018). Manual for VOSviewer version 1.6. 8. CWTS meaningful metrics. Universiteit Leiden. https://www.vosviewer.com/documentation/Manual_VOSviewer_1.6.20.pdf

van Oorschot, J. A., Hofman, E., & Halman, J. I. (2018). A bibliometric review of the innovation adoption literature. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 134, 1-21. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2015.16847abstract

Varini, V. (2016). Building an industrial society: welfare capitalism in the ‘city of factories’, Sesto San Giovanni, Italy. European Review of History: Revue européenne d'histoire, 23(4), 724-750. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/13507486.2016.1154928

Veninga, C. (2004). Spatial prescriptions and social realities: New Urbanism and the production of Northwest Landing. Urban Geography, 25(5), 458-482. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2747/0272-3638.25.5.458

Venovcevs, A. (2021). Living with socialism: Toward an archaeology of a post-soviet industrial town. The Extractive Industries and Society, 8(4), 100835. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2020.10.017

Veselkova, N., Vandyshev, M., & Pryamikova, E. (2021). Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Monotowns: Production of Mobility.

Visentin, F. (2016). Modernist ideas and local reception: the company towns of Piazzola sul Brenta and Borgonyà, 1895–1930. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 40(3), 578-600. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2427.12389

von Rabenau, B. (1976). Optimal growth of a factory town. Journal of Urban Economics, 3(2), 97-112. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/0094-1190(76)90047-4

Voronina, E., Milchakova, N., & Sergeeva, I. (2021). Single-Industry Towns: The Course of Diversification. Surgut State University Journal(4 (34)), 28-38. https://doi.org/10.34822/2312-3419-2021-4-28-38

Westmont, V. C. (2020). Faux materials and aspirational identity: Celluloid combs and working class dreams in the Pennsylvania anthracite region. Journal of Material Culture, 25(1), 93-107. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/1359183519858377

Westmont, V. C. (2022). Social Engineering at the Company Home Hearth: Coal Company Use of Architecture to Control Domestic Spaces in the Pennsylvania Anthracite Region, 1866–1889. Historical Archaeology, 56(4), 782-803. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-022-00380-1

White, N. (2004). Creating community: Industrial paternalism and town planning in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, 1923–1955. Urban History Review, 32(2), 45-58. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.7202/1015716ar

White, N. (2007). Satellite, planned resource communities: Deer Lake, Newfoundland, 1923–35. Planning Perspectives, 22(2), 225-243. https://doi.org/ttps://doi.org/10.1080/02665430701213606

Wiltshire, R. (1991). A new future for a company town: Diversification and employment in Kamaishi City. The science reports of the Tohoku University. 7th series, Geography, 41(1), 1-22.

Zemlyanskii, D. Y. (2011). Single-industry towns in Russia. Regional Research of Russia, 1(1), 99-102. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1134/s2079970511010035

Zupic, I., & Čater, T. (2015). Bibliometric methods in management and organization. Organizational research methods, 18(3), 429-472. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428114562629




DOI: https://doi.org/10.15826/recon.2023.9.4.027

Copyright (c) 2024 Taşkın Dirsehan, Nursultan Shurenov, Nataliya Tovma, Zhanna Kozhamkulova, Zauresh Akhmetova

Сertificate of registration media Эл № ФС77-80764 от 23.04.2021
Online ISSN 2412-0731