Client-centricity of the civil service at the regional level: an “inside view”

The “State for people” client-centricity in the public administration system is considered in the article as the next logical stage of administrative reform in Russia. The authors primarily focus on investigating this phenomenon within the realm of civil service and the implementation of the “Internal Client” standard, which uniquely positions the civil servant as the subject of study - an approach that is atypical in the context of both domestic and international bureaucratic systems. The article presents the results of a pilot sociological survey conducted among government officials and executive bodies of the Rostov region, centered on the aforementioned theme. The findings illustrate the current state of affairs regarding the implementation of the internal client standard and outline the prospects for its further integration into civil service practices. This research is rooted in the scientific investigations conducted by the Department of Sociology at the South Russian Institute of Management-Branch of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, aligning conceptually and methodologically with the academic tradition of the sociology of public service. Overall, this study contributes to the understanding of client-centricity in civil administration and offers insights into the experiences and perceptions of civil servants in relation to internal client standards, thus paving the way for future developments in this field.