Public participation as tool for territory development (experience of the Vologda municipal district of the Vologda oblast)

The article is devotedtotheorganizationofeffective feedbackfrom citizens andcreationofconditions for increasing the population’s involvement level in the processes of territorial management at the local level. In the coming years, the amount of funding for activities supported by citizens through open voting should significantly grow which sets the task of further involving of the population in the management processes at the local level. The article defines theoretical and methodological approaches to the concept of “public participation”, describes the functions and forms of public participation in decision-making, and summarizes the experience of the Vologda Municipal District of the Vologda Oblast in solving issues of socio-economicdevelopment of the territory using feedback mechanisms and citizens’ active involvement. Such practices of intensifying public participation as the governor’s initiative, municipal and public partnerships preserving cultural heritage, support for volunteering, etc., allowed increasing the level of citizens’ involvement in the governance process at the municipal level to 40%. There are some urban councils and a program “People’s Budget”, and local information resources “Voice your concern”, “Open”, “People’s construction control”, “Friendly house - cozy courtyard”. The institution of chiefs and territorial public self-government are becoming increasingly important in terms of population’s self-organization opening up new opportunities for cooperation between the authorities and society in the territory development. The achieved level of communication with the population and the real involvement of the public in decision-making at the municipal level largely determine the leading position of the district in regional ratings of socio-economic development. The practical significance of the study is determined by the possibility of using the proposed social and managerial tools in the activities of local self-government authorities.