Zarichniy O.A.

Police Colonel, Chief of Human Resource Interior

Ministry of Ukraine in Lviv oblast, Ukraine

Citizen participation in public affairs as means of state-making process efficiency

State authority exercises its powers by adopting regulations that include administrative or other state-government solutions. The effectiveness of these solutions is significant for both the government and society. The consensus in decision-making ensures compliance by its members and society legitimizes state power. One of the possible aspects of consensus between civil society and public authorities is to implement the principle of public authority. We believe there is compelling statement of  H. Arendt, that authority – isn’t ownership or property separate political entity and institutionalized multilateral dialogue. The emergence of authority as social phenomenon is due to the need to harmonize social actions of people with the predominance of common interest over private [1, р. 20].

Citizen participation should occur at all stages of decision making, not just the final where there is consent or not consent to taking public law. The public should initially be able to participate at the stage of legislative initiative, especially important here is public legislative initiative on the concept of the future legal act and establishing national imperative to pass some law. Participation is also possible under development as public consultations; public opinion polls indicate a path for norm creator and enable to determine the real social needs. It is also possible public participation in decision-making stage, especially the decision in the referendum. The next step is decision and then the laws of the participation of citizens in all previous stages of creating a proper basis for the decision. Social control is also an essential stage of state-making. As a result adopted regulation will have the highest level of respect in society and could be efficient.

The importance of public participation in the exercise of state authority due to the nature of transition in the political, legal and socio-economic realities. "High efficiency based on a thorough knowledge of democratic forms and methods of management has always been a social order of society. Social consciousness connects with this attitude to the socio-political system and power management and government agencies. It is particularly acute in transitional periods of social development, while dramatically increasing the price wrong and ineffective solutions. Thus, the criterion of democracy and efficiency in social practice too high to underestimate the problem and the consequences of decisions (especially normative) taken in public administration" [2, p.158]. Factor-making efficiency is very important for the development of our country, so ensuring people's participation in the activities of public authorities in making its decisions is an important factor in the development of the state, significant legal aid for real protection of rights and freedoms.

For the effectiveness of state policies should create proper conditions so that "in general, the effectiveness of management activities depends primarily on the social environment: scientific organization in all spheres of social life, its democracy, systematic and economical use of natural, physical, human and organizational resources of society, national harmony and political stability" [2, p.159]. Citizen participation can create the proper level of social environment to implement the will of the government. Society is made up of full, conscious, creative, independent individuals who have the potential to change and development thus seek to perfect themselves, society and the state in which they reside. On the inner nature of a person comes to the potential control their own lives and the life of society, therefore the management of public affairs - a natural right and the need for member of society.

Developing and improving individuals seeking optimal solutions to public problems, and as each person is endowed with self-consciousness, culture has its own experience and mental abilities may include customized solutions in conflict with other community members or representatives of the government. In this context, it is necessary to cite the position of V.O. Zatonsky, who is investigating the problem of efficiency of modern statehood through the prism of individual interaction with other actors of the political system, points out that in this block elements of statehood are political, legal and moral principles on which the named relations, justice, humanity, internationalism, patriotism, citizenship as political and legal manifestation of morality and so on. Also, he specifies as elements of statehood such general principles as: freedom, democracy, humanism, regulations accordance, justice and the specific principles of relations between the individual and the state, mutual responsibility, legality, equality, universal respect of human rights, its legal interests, political and ideological pluralism [3, p.19].

Therefore, the effectiveness of state-making process for each state, especially for the state of economic transition type is an important factor contributing to reform inefficient legal and political system. Institute for citizen participation in public affairs creates real effective mechanism to ensure the effectiveness of state-making process and contributes to the improvement of the legal system in the state.

 

1.     Демидов В. И. Ценностные измерения власти /  В. И. Демидов // Полис. - 1996. - №3. - С. 12 – 26.

2.     Цвєтков В.В., Горбатенко В.П. Демократія–Управління-Бюрократія: в контексті модернізації українського суспільства: Монографія  / В.В.Цвєтков, В.П. Горбатенко // К.: Інститут держави і права ім. В.М.Корецького НАН України, 2001. – 248 с.

3.     Затонский В.А. Эффективная государственность / В.А. Затонский ; под ред. А.В. Малько. – М. : Юристъ, 2006. – 286 с.