This collective article examines the distinctive features of election campaigns in contemporary Russia using analytical research drawn from the Russian legislative elections of 2016 (the State Duma’s VII convocation); the authors also formulate practical recommendations for politicians participating in future electoral cycles. The necessity of creating effective tools for campaigning lead the authors to pay particular attention to developments in modern political science and to promising technologies that are currently not sufficiently used in Russia — particularly social networks, the problem-targeted approach, SWOT analysis and PEST analysis. The group’s research was presented at a political science department competition on the resolution of political cases held on May 16, 2016 by the department of political science at Lomonosov Moscow State Unversity.

Based on empirical quantitative data, the article examines the relationship between the severity of the epidemiological situation in a particular country (1), the stringency of protective and restrictive measures imposed by the government (2), and the institutional characteristics of the country (including the quality of healthcare, management, the level of public confidence in the government, value orientations, etc.), which determine the specifics of the application of measures and their effectiveness (3). As a result, with the help of the index of the severity of the epidemiological situation, institutional characteristics were identified that most affect the effectiveness of the measures applied and, if possible, allow combining the relatively easy passage of the pandemic with relatively lax measures. Based on statistical indicators, practical recommendations have been developed aimed at reducing the severity of the epidemiological situation and reducing the severity of measures.