As stipulated by the “Federalism: A Multi-Dimensional Model of Research” scientific-publishing program, the second of a series of reports is published here within the “Federalism and the Public Sphere in Russia and Canada” project being realized by the political science department of the Carleton University (for the Canadian part) and the Gorbachev Foundation (for the Russian part). (For the first report of the series see: Galkin A.A., Fedosov P.A., Valentey S.D., Solovey V.D. — Polis, 2001, No.4). The 1st part of this second report contains analysis of the structure of electoral preferences at the regional levels, as referable to geographical and socioeconomic distinctions of Russian regions (area, numbers of the population, degree of urbanization, level of budgetary per capita revenues and expenditures, etc.). The 2nd part deals with politico-juridical aspects of delimitation of the spheres of competence and terms of reference between the federal organs and the organs of state power of the RF subjects. In the 3d part, the authors discuss the most acute problems of the system of local self-government, and outline possible ways of its perfection. In the final, 4th part of the report, an attempt is made to clear out the attitude of regional public opinion towards President Putin’s federal reforms.