E-government in Russia: the problem of determining the performance criteria and achievement indicators

Introduction: the development of the state and municipal administration in Russia is in the direction of digitalization. The provision of public (state and municipal) services is converted into electronic form, which has a number of advantages and limitations compared to the traditional forms of their implementation. Without the establishment of clear goals, it is impossible to adequately assess the prospects for the development of this institution and further regulations. The purpose of the research is to determine the criteria for the development of e-government and the establishment of the public policy objective indicators in this area. The research methodology is based on the application of the logical, dialectical techniques and the methods of scientific knowledge, and the comparative law and legal-technical analysis of the texts of laws and other documents. Results: in the article the author conducts the analysis of the foreign scientific literature, the international ratings of the Russian legislation and the strategic planning documents for the establishment of the criteria for determining the stages of forming the electronic government in Russia, and the efficiency of the state policy in the regulation sphere. The study of the issue suggests the absence of a strategic vision of the prospects for the development of e-government, the imperfection of the state programs implementation indicators, the use as the planned results of the reforms of preliminary indicators obtained without the appropriate justification, the assumption of the possibility of information manipulation and inefficient spending of budgetary resources. Conclusions: in modern Russia there is no holistic vision of the prospects for digitalization of the public administration. Due to the lack of the theoretical study of the issues of understanding of “serviceability” in the public administration, the classification of the state and municipal services procedures that have control and supervisory nature, the limits of the relevant sphere regulation are not clearly determined. The strategic planning documents and the federal legislation are often adopted in a haphazard manner, and the targets achievement is subject to the manipulation without a factual basis. According to the author of the article, the solution of these problems is seen in determining the essence of public, state and municipal services, the establishment of a clear system of the statutory and law enforcement regulation.