Irina Sharkova made a COBASE project development visit to Russia in July-August 2000 to initiate a collaborative study of patterns of civil engagement in that country. The ultimate goal of the project is to document and analyze the geographical dimensions of the emerging civil society in Russia, thus showing how and why civic engagement may differ in Russia’s large cities as opposed to smaller towns and rural areas. In the post-Soviet period, most foreign aid for the development of civil society has focused on the largest cities, such as Moscow and St. Petersburg, with far less attention paid to smaller communities. Sharkova’s project is aimed at learning whether "the spatial pattern of current research and grant-making reflects the real geography of civic engagement in Russia."

During her visit this past summer, Sharkova met with her primary colleagues, Dmitry Lukhmanov and Alexei Krindach of the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Geography (Moscow) and Natalya Soldatenkova of the Vologda State Pedagogical University. They began their project by gathering data on such topics as citizens’ membership in non-governmental and religious organizations and their participation in parliamentary and presidential elections, as well as other demographic, social, and economic characteristics of the population. In addition, they discussed plans for a field survey to look at types of social capital and forms of civic involvement in large cities, small towns, and rural districts. With the help of graduate students, interviews would be conducted with representatives of various civic and religious organizations and members of the public to create a "community portrait" of civic activities and social networks existing in each area.

Sharkova is currently analyzing the data she collected in Russia and plans to present a paper on her findings at the 2001 Annual Meetings of the Association of American Geographers in New York early next spring. She is also working on a proposal to the National Science Foundation to support the long-term project she and her Russian colleagues have developed.