Citizen participation and social control: regional perspective

Stable functioning system of cross-sector partnership (government - business - society) is an important prerequisite for civil society development in modern Russia. The participation of a “third sector” (citizens and non-profit organizations) should play a decisive role in making government decisions that affect economic and social development, development of democracy in general. The recent years have witnessed efforts to develop civil (social) control exercised by civil society through its institutions, primarily public chambers and public councils. The results of the research of the Institute of Socio-Economic Development of Territories of RAS show that the paternalistic attitudes of most population, dependency and disbelief in own powers are barriers to the state-public interaction. The citizens’ passivity leads to the situation when institutions and mechanisms of social control are created on the initiative of public authorities of federal and regional levels. This, in turn, negatively affects the growth of civil activity...