Vertical and Horizontal Political Networks of NGO Participation: A Subnational Comparative Analysis

Political network research has highlighted the importance of relational structures in shaping policy processes, yet comparative analyses of NGO networks at the subnational level remain scarce. This paper addresses this gap by examining how different configurations of political networks structure NGO participation in regional social policy. The study compares two Russian regions - Vologda Oblast and Nizhny Novgorod Oblast - characterised by contrasting governance arrangements. Adopting a relational perspective on political networks, the analysis focuses on the interplay between vertical ties (linking NGOs to state authorities and corporate actors) and horizontal ties (inter-organizational cooperation among NGOs). The empirical material combines policy documents, funding records, and semi-structured interviews with NGO representatives and policymakers. The findings reveal pronounced differences in network configurations. In the more state-centred regional context, NGO participation is embedded in highly centralised and vertically integrated networks dominated by public authorities and major corporate actors. These structures facilitate policy implementation but limit horizontal coordination and constrain autonomous action. In contrast, the more pluralistic region exhibits denser horizontal networks, more diverse resource flows, and greater opportunities for NGOs to pursue specialised and autonomous strategies of participation. By linking network configurations to observable forms of NGO participation - integrated, survival-oriented, specialised, and autonomous - the paper demonstrates how political networks shape not only patterns of interaction but also organisational strategies and governance outcomes. Rather than treating networks as neutral coordination devices, the analysis shows how they operate as mechanisms of power and constraint within regional policy processes. The study contributes to political network research by advancing a comparative, subnational perspective on networked governance beyond contentious politics.