New forms of direct public participation in local self-government

In the modern realities, the hope of reinforcing the democratic civil society in Russia is associated with local self-government. However, the actual political situation gives grounds to assert that restructuring the Russian system, which has lasted over the past decades, did not make significant changes to the system of municipalities’ interrelation. Today, such an important and urgent problem as the lack of active participation of citizens in resolving issues of local importance is more topical than ever. The problems of the population activity also acquire special significance in connection with the need of working out the strategies for sustainable development of municipalities, taking into account regional specifics. The article deals with the various forms of Russian citizens’ participation in local self-government. Based on the expert survey, the level of civic engagement of the population is analyzed, the main reasons for passivity of residents, the prospects for voters’ participation in solving problems of local communities are determined. The authors reveal the unpreparedness of the population to take an active and permanent part in the implementation of local self-government, that is conditioned by a whole range of reasons, which are primarily subjective, and therefore it is expedient to involve citizens in solving local problems through the development of voluntary associations, whose activities would be directed at socially significant tasks.