About the reasons of the perception of local authorities as the most bribable power and public institutions of contemporary Russia

The relationship between ordinary people and local authorities is specific due to ability of their direct and regular communication. Many problems that are important for citizens could only be resolved by contacting the municipal authorities. Nevertheless, the system of public authorities in contemporary Russia does not provide municipalities with enough resources for the implementation of all citizens’ legal requirements. Many locals have extremely negative experience of direct interaction with municipal authorities and such negative experience destroys the citizens’ trust in authorities. At the same time, the limitation of the local authorities’ resources contributes conditions for municipal officials to make the corruption abuses and increases the chances of citizens to face corruption. The negative attitude towards local authorities reinforces its estrangement from society, which is manifested in the authorities’ attempts to isolate themselves from citizens by bureaucratic procedures and by information protection. The article postulates that even in the conditions of a lack of resources, the attitude of society towards local authorities can be changed by expanding local democracy and introducing principles of transparency.