Interaction of Citizens with Regulatory Enforcement and Inspection Bodies: Status and Key Trends

The objective of the paper is to evaluate the status and trends of citizen interactions with regulatory enforcement and inspection bodies in the framework of inspection reform.The key method used was a representative sociological survey conducted in 35 Russian regions in March 2020. The survey allowed for collecting citizen evaluations on personal experience related to facing 10 major risks to public values (in the areas of personal safety from crime, food and non-food product safety, fire and technical safety of buildings and constructions, environmental safety, risks related to medical services and drugs, transport safety, risks related to financial services and misuse of personal data).The results demonstrate that some 49.5 percent of Russian citizens have faced the need to protect themselves from the above risks for the past 2 years. Out of them, 44.9 percent of respondents applied for protection to regulatory enforcement and inspection authorities. Only 44.2 percent of respondents that had applied to regulatory enforcement and inspection authorities for protection of public values fully attained their objectives (i.e. managed to prevent the threat or have violations eliminated and the damage reimbursed).Comparing these results to those obtained from the previous surveys demonstrates that implementation of the inspection reform has not yet made any significant effect on improving the quality of interaction between citizen and regulatory enforcement and inspection authorities. To improve the quality of such interactions special measures should be undertaken for improving the use of feedback mechanisms for planning inspection activities. Responses to citizen applications should be controlled not only in terms of timeliness but also in terms of substance. Timely review and reaction to citizen applications as well as more involvement in damage reimbursement processes on the part of regulatory enforcement and inspection authorities are also recommended. Broader use of digital technologies for interactions between citizen and regulatory enforcement and inspection authorities could also help improve the quality of these interactions and contribute to increasing the public trust to these authorities

Оценка цифровизации взаимодействия государства и граждан

The purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive approach to evaluating digitalization of interaction of the state and citizens in the sphere of providing state services. The objectives of the study include the analysis of current Russian and foreign approaches to assessing the digitalization of interaction between the state and citizens; development and testing of a composite indicator methodology for conducting such an assessment in the provision of public services. Materials and methods. When preparing the paper, the authors studied Russian and foreign theoretical and practical approaches to evaluating digitalization of interaction between the state and citizens. The approbation of the digitalization index of interaction between the state and citizens proposed in the article was carried out on the basis of data from a selective federal statistical observation of the Federal State Statistics Service on the use of information technologies, information and communication networks by the population, as well as the data from the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation. To achieve the objective, theoretical methods (comparative analysis, synthesis, and generalization), modelling, and correlation analysis were used. Results. Based on the analysis of foreign and Russian approaches, their advantages and limitations, the article substantiates the methodology for calculating the digitalization index of interaction between the state and citizens, taking into account the immediate results (the availability of state and municipal services in the electronic form), intermediate results (the demand for the electronic form of service provision) and the final results of digital transformation in the provision of public services (satisfaction of citizens with the quality of services provided in the electronic form), as well as the risks of digital interaction (the level of digital trust of citizens in the interaction with the state). Approbation of the digitalization index of interaction between the state and citizens in the regional context was carried out. To assess the applicability of the proposed index, the correlation dependence of its values and the values of the index components on the level of education of the population, employment, income and urbanization, as well as differences in the availability of information and communication technologies infrastructure was investigated. At the same time, the level of digitalization correlation of interaction between the state and citizens with social factors is higher than with infrastructural ones. This means that to solve the problem of digital inequality in Russian regions, it is not enough to provide universal access to the Internet; factors of human capital development also play an important role in promoting digital channels of interaction. Conclusion. Assessing the digitalization of interaction between the state and citizens requires taking into account various indicators that reflect the immediate, intermediate and final results of such an interaction, as well as the risks associated with the transition to “digit”. In terms of the provision of public services for such an assessment, it is advisable to use the digitalization index of interaction between the state and citizens. Further promising areas of research in the field of assessing the digitalization of interaction between the state and citizens are related to the study of the influence of citizens’ trust in government bodies on the level of digitalization of interaction between the state and citizens, as well as taking into account the interaction of citizens and the state within the framework of other types of state functions (development and implementation of state policy, regulation, control and supervisory activities). The implementation of these directions will require the expansion of the currently available information base.Целью исследования является выработка комплексного подхода к оценке цифровизации взаимодействия государства и граждан в сфере оказания государственных услуг. В задачи исследования входит анализ действующих российских и зарубежных подходов к оценке цифровизации взаимодействия государства и граждан; разработка и апробация методологии комплексного показателя для проведения такой оценки в сфере оказания государственных услуг. Материалы и методы. При подготовке статьи авторами изучены российские и зарубежные теоретические и практические подходы к оценке цифровизации взаимодействия государства и граждан. Апробация предложенного в статье индекса цифровизации взаимодействия государства и граждан проведена на основе данных выборочного федерального статистического наблюдения Федеральной службы государственной статистики по вопросам использования населением информационных технологий и информационно-коммуникационных сетей, а также данных Министерства экономического развития Российской Федерации. Для достижения цели использованы теоретические методы (сравнительный анализ, синтез, обобщение), моделирование и корреляционный анализ. Результаты. Исходя из анализа зарубежных и российских подходов, их преимуществ и ограничений, в статье обоснована методология расчета индекса цифровизации взаимодействия государства и граждан, учитывающего непосредственные результаты (наличие государственных и муниципальных услуг в электронном виде), промежуточные результаты (востребованность электронной формы оказания услуг) и конечные результаты цифровой трансформации в сфере оказания государственных услуг (удовлетворенность граждан качеством оказываемых услуг в электронном виде), а также риски цифрового взаимодействия (уровень цифрового доверия граждан при взаимодействии с государством). Проведена апробация индекса цифровизации взаимодействия государства и граждан в региональном разрезе. Для оценки применимости предложенного индекса исследована корреляционная зависимость его значений и значений компонентов индекса от уровня образования населения, занятости, доходов и урбанизации, так и различиями в доступности инфраструктуры информационно-коммуникационных технологий. При этом уровень корреляции цифровизации взаимодействия государства и граждан с социальными факторами выше, чем с инфраструктурными. Это означает, что для решения проблемы цифрового неравенства российских регионов недостаточно обеспечить универсальный доступ к сети Интернет; важную роль в продвижении цифровых каналов взаимодействия играют и факторы развития человеческого капитала. Заключение. Оценка цифровизации взаимодействия государства и граждан требует учета различных показателей, отражающих непосредственные, промежуточные и конечные результаты такого взаимодействия, а также риски, связанные с переходом к «цифре». В части оказания государственных услуг для такой оценки целесообразно использовать индекс цифровизации взаимодействия государства и граждан. Дальнейшие перспективные направления исследований в сфере оценки цифровизации взаимодействия государства и граждан связаны с изучением влияния доверия граждан к органам государственного управления на уровень цифровизации взаимодействия государства и граждан, а также с учетом взаимодействия граждан и государства в рамках иных видов государственных функций (выработки и реализации государственной политики, регулирования, контрольно-надзорной деятельности). Реализация этих направлений потребует расширения имеющейся в настоящее время информационной базы

E-Government in Russia : Plans, Reality, and Future Outlook

Peer reviewe

Blogging the Virtual: New Geographies of Domination and Resistance In and Beyond Russia

Russia’s accelerating authoritarian turn has not ignored the internet, and in recent years, the Russian state has clamped down on internet activities that diverge from the statist line, employing a variety of strategies to dominate online spaces. Nevertheless, oppositional voices flourish on the Russian internet, taking shape in independent blogs and videos. This paper explores three political bloggers through surveillant and resistance assemblages, making sense of this contestation through an interpretation of the Deleuzian virtual that underscores the emancipatory potential of online activities for producing more egalitarian configurations, but also taking stock of the ways that these technologies have increased domination. Encompassing the blurriness between digital and corporeal spaces, the paper contributes by revealing new geographies of contestation against state strategies to dominate the Russian internet. Overlapping with but not corresponding to Russian territorial boundaries, these dynamics highlight shifting spaces of power and resistance in the increasingly illiberal world

GOVERNANCE QUALITY AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL: METHODIC APPROACH TO EVALUATION

The need for systemic efforts to improve governance quality at the regional level makes the subject of the study highly relevant to the policy agenda. The goal of the study is to develop and test a methodological approach to measuring the quality of governance at the regional level. The subject of the study includes governance performance at the regional level in Russia. The authors apply general analytical scientific methods such as quantitative, qualitative, and comparative analysis. The study is based on a review of statistical, administrative data, as well as regulatory documents, regional strategic documents, and related implementation performance reports. The study results include a review of existing approaches to measuring governance quality at the regional level, a methodological approach to evaluating the quality of governance and the results of its application. The study concludes that there is significant variation in terms of governance quality both within one region (i.e., over various quality parameters) and among regions. The dynamics of governance quality indicators also varies among regions, with some territories demonstrating improvements and others deterioration. The interregional variation cannot be explained exclusively by difference in the resources available. The regions with better governance quality demonstrate better social and economic performance. Improving quality of public governance would call for adapting reform approaches to specific regional needs. The novelty of the paper is related, first of all, to adaptation of governance performance indicators and testing the system based on the regional data, undertaking a comprehensive evaluation of the justification, effectiveness, and efficiency of the governance in Russian regions. It is recommended to use the methodology proposed in the paper for preparing and implementing governance improvement programs at the regional level

GOVERNMENT DIGITALIZATION: EVALUATING EFFECTIVENESS AND RISKS FROM PUBLIC PERSPECTIVE

Digital transformation is one of Russia’s national goals and development objectives. Therefore, monitoring sociological studies aimed at collecting public perceptions of effectiveness and risks of government digitalization are highly relevant. The goal of this paper is to evaluate the effects of government digitalization from the public perspective. The subject of the study is the interaction between the state (public authorities and state institutions) and citizens with the use of digital technologies during the performance of publicly relevant government functions. The primary method of the study is a representative sociological public survey. The results presented in the paper contain an evaluation of the effectiveness of government digitalization from the citizens’ perspective, an analysis of the public readiness to engage in digital interaction with the public authorities as well as an evaluation of the risks associated with government digitalization, as perceived by the public. The paper demonstrates that a vast majority of Russians (88.2 percent) have engaged in digital interaction with the state over the past year. The study concludes that while overall evaluation of government digitalization effectiveness in terms of improving governance quality is positive, some areas are more problematic. For instance, less than a quarter of the respondents feels that the use of digital technology has improved the quality of education. Despite significant experience in digital interaction with the state, most respondents are not always ready to choose the digital channel for every issue. The choice of digital channel over other possible interaction means mostly depends on digital skills. The respondents evaluate the risks associated with government digitalization as high. Better educated respondents with higher digital skills are more likely to note that government digitalization risks are substantial, compared to other citizens. The novelty of the study is related to developing and implementing sociological instruments for measuring effectiveness and risks of government digitalization as perceived by the public. The paper recommends to account for the public evaluation of digital government effectiveness and risks while planning and implementing the government’s digital transformation initiatives at the federal and at the regional level

Methodological approaches to the assessment of state control and inspection system by the citizens as its beneficiaries

The success of the reform of the state control and inspection system depends significantly on taking into account the estimates of all stakeholders, i.e. business, government, and citizens as beneficiaries of the state control and inspection activities; and such estimates should be considered at the stages of planning, monitoring, and evaluating the achieved results. The priority project ‘Reforming State Control and Inspection System in the Russian Federation’ considers citizens’ estimates only if presented by statistical indicators that reflect the nature, frequency, and scale of harm often measured by the control bodies themselves, i.e. such data are prone to distortion. The authors suggest to supplement this system by indicators allowing the citizens to assess the state control and inspection activities and reform. These indicators can be measured in representative surveys, which would allow to balance the existing system of monitoring the state control and inspection activities. The article presents both international and Russian approaches to the sociological study of the efficiency of the state control and inspection system. The authors identify methodological rules of such surveys, such as that all adult citizens should be questioned regardless of their experience of interaction with control bodies. The article also describes the types of public legally protected values and the types of risks that should be part of sociological questionnaires; and suggests some key indicators for the assessment of the state control activities by the citizens: the frequency of facing the need to protect public values (the lower the frequency, the higher the effectiveness); the general estimate of the public values safety (by groups of risks); and the results of citizens’ interaction with the control bodies to protect public values including damage compensation

PROTECTION OF PUBLIC VALUES: EVALUATING STATE REGULATORY ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITY FROM CITIZEN PERSPECTIVE

The federal legislation defines a list of regulatory enforcement activities aimed at minimizing risks to legally protected public values (such as life and health, property, privacy, other human rights, plants and animals, natural habitats). Therefore, monitoring studies aiming at collecting public perceptions of the protection of these public values are highly relevant for tracking the reform progress. The goal of this paper is to identify public perceptions of the extent of protection of public values and evaluate regulatory enforcement performance. The subject of the study is regulatory enforcement activity aimed at reducing risks to the public values. The primary method of the study is a representative public survey, the findings of which are compared to earlier surveys carried out in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. The results presented in the paper include an analysis of the dynamics in public perception of the effectiveness and efficiency of the state regulatory enforcement activities. The paper concludes that while there are some positive trends in improving public perceptions of the safety of public values, the overall level of these perceptions is unsatisfactory. Less than a half of all the survey participants have positive perceptions on any of the risks considered. The frequency of risk events remains high: half of the respondents faced at least one risk in the 2 years preceding the survey. Both time and financial costs borne by citizens applying for protection to the state regulatory and enforcement authorities have not changed significantly. This shows that the efficiency of state regulatory enforcement authorities has not improved in the public view. The novelty of the study is related to collecting and analyzing empirical data to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of state regulatory enforcement bodies, as perceived by the public. The paper recommends streamlining the procedures for handling citizen complaints to state regulatory enforcement bodies and improving public access to information on the ways of protecting public values from the risks