Stuck in between. Transportation infrastructure, corporate social responsibility, and the state in a small Siberian oil town¹

Verkhnemarkovo is a small Siberian town located on an oil field in Russia’s Irkutskaia oblast’ that has long been plagued by bad roads and limited mobility. Here we explore the relationship between CSR and the wellbeing of individuals and communities, with a focus on transport and mobility infrastructure. We argue that contemporary life in Verkhnemarkovo is characterized by so-called “infrastructural violence,” resulting from a lack of state support (or false promises made by the state) relating to good transport infrastructure; power disparities in decision-making about new projects; and inequity and discrimination in mobility-related opportunities. This chapter discusses how the community is left in a state of limbo between the state and the oil companies, who donate voluntarily, if at all. We conclude that the current system cannot be considered to be supporting socio-economic or ecological sustainability or sustainable wellbeing for individuals or communities.