Intensive Russian integration into the global economy in today's geopolitical situation requires more attention to sustainable and dynamic development of its regions. The transformation of Russian society at the present stage has attracted the most attention both to the institutions of civil society and the state in general, and to the management problems of socio-economic development of its regions. The article focuses on one of the most complex internal problems of modern Russia – the right balance of federal and regional management in the region for achieving effectiveness. In real conditions of the strengthening role of Russia in the world community, with the activation of extremist efforts in the European countries which were traditionally considered to be "steady" in this regard, and with the increase of terrorist threat in certain regions of the Russian Federation it is important to analyze the historical experience of interaction of the central and local authorities. The author has made an attempt to track the history of management in Kursk region in the period of the Soviet Union and modern Russia.