CONSTITUENT MECHANISMS OF CITIZEN ADVOCACY IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES

Lyubov Nevelichko¹, Ruslan Bazhenov²*, Natalia Nikolaeva³, Andrey Tcytcarev⁴, Irina Vorotilkina^5
1Assoc.Prof., Sholom-Aleichem Priamursky State University, RUSSIA, lnevelichko@bk.ru
²Assoc.Prof., Sholom-Aleichem Priamursky State University, RUSSIA, r-i-bazhenov@yandex.ru
³Assoc.Prof., Sholom-Aleichem Priamursky State University, RUSSIA, nata.nikolaeva.53@yandex.ru
⁴Assoc.Prof., Sholom-Aleichem Priamursky State University, RUSSIA, tcytcarev@yandex.ru
⁵Prof. Dr., Sholom-Aleichem Priamursky State University, RUSSIA, btb-irina@rambler.ru
*Corresponding Author

Abstract

It is possible to develop the fundamental democratic principles of the social life in Russia if people who live in municipal and rural settlements are actively involved in a capacity to manage a local community. Former-Soviet reforms have resulted in a number of questionable changes in the life support system of people living in municipal structures. On the one hand, new social institutions of municipal government and a free market economy have been developed during the reforms. The principles of democracy, freedom and law are being put gradually into people’s everyday lives. On the other hand, socio-economic inequality has evolved and is increasing. The living standard of a considerable part of the population is declining so is their credibility with municipal authorities. Phenomena of disengagement and anomie, low socio-economic and political activism of the population, general discontentment with the solution of vital issues of common life mount social tension in local communities. They also force migration and other antisocial processes. The real rather than the nominal establishment of municipal administration is impossible without the citizens’ informed participation in the government-led economic reforms. The development of public activity of the population, and involvement in solving local issues necessitate doing a sociological analysis of hard factors and subjective facilitations of local community functioning. It requires unfolding, the development of social arrangements of integration between various constituent territories, and relations with local authorities. The necessity to cope with disenfranchisement of the population comes into sharp focus. It can be solved by doing the groundwork for the effect of social development endeavor and real citizens’ participation in community-based decision making. It is a must for the arrangement of local communities. The local community works as a structural component of a municipality. It is considered to be a unit and a component in socially organized interaction of people living within the same territory. It can promote securing local residents and approaching new citizens’ ways of thinking that are necessary for the successful completion of the carried out reforms. The aim of the study is to feature the subject-matter of civic engagement in local communities. It also covers the main point of structuring a social mechanism to develop the civic engagement in solving issues at the community level. The authors used the general scientific methods of learning social phenomena, the statistical approach of studying social phenomena and processes, the method of analyzing documents, questioning to achieve this goal. The authors identified that establishing the partnership relations between municipality residents and local authorities through various forms of their social participation in solving local issues is a condition that needs to be met to enhance the importance of local self-government in the development of civic engagement of the population. The study found out the reasons why the civic engagement of the population in municipalities is weakened.

Keywords: community, local community, municipal government, citizen advocacy, civic engagement, public self-organization