Paper/Speech Details of Conference Program for the 15th NISPAcee Annual Conference Program Overview VII. Working Group on Capacity Building of Civil Servants... Author(s) Ruzanna Soshnikova (Krtyan) International Market Institute Samara Russian Federation paper of L.Goverdovskaya presented by R.Krtyan Title Mechanisms of authorities and civil society interaction File Paper files are available only for conference participants, please login first. Presenter Abstract Currently, the oblast of Samara (like other regions of the Russian Federation) is carrying out the local self-governance reform. Its main objectives are as follows: bringing authorities closer to the people, ensuring (in practical terms) independence and economic motivation of local authorities as well as their greater accountability. Stages and terms and conditions of implementing changes are stipulated in the Federal Law # 131-FZ on General Principles of Organizing Local Self-Governance in the Russian Federation (of October 06, 2003), while the key issues of putting this Law in force in Samara oblast are regulated by the Samara Oblast Government Decree # 6 (of February 17, 2004). Under the Samara Oblast Law (# 189-GD, of December 28, 2004) on Lodging Samara Oblast Municipal Entities with the Status of Urban District and Municipal Rayon Respectively, 10 urban districts and 27 municipal rayons were formed. Their boundaries were approved by way of cartographic description by 37 laws of Samara oblast. Thereafter, status and boundaries of 304 poseleniyes (kind of centers of population) including 12 urban and 292 rural poseleniyes were established via 27 laws of Samara oblast. Samara oblast is one of the Russian regions where the new Federal Law became effective on January 01, 2006. This coincided with launching of four nation-wide initiative directed towards solution of major social issues. Therefore, in point of fact development of local self-governance is the fifth national initiative for our region. The main implication of reforming local authorities and establishing new principles of their operation lies in liberating upward initiative. This shall be treated as meeting the citizens’ aspirations at the new stage of developing state and society – as a final move in forming the governance system commonly referred to in Russia as “the vertical of power”. The most challenging factor in enforcing the 131-FZ Federal Law is participation of the general public in the local self-governance; this is especially true for residents of small rural poseleniyes – for a number of reasons. Public and Municipal Governance Advanced Training Institute (abbreviated in Russian as IPK GMU and operating as a structural division of the International Market Institute) in cooperation with the Historical-Environmental-Cultural Association “Povolzhye” is conducting research-and-practice activities with the purpose of putting in place mechanisms of involving citizens in Samara oblast local self-governance under proper observance of their interests. This project emphasizes the following tasks: - Development and introduction of mechanisms enabling participation of citizens in the local self-governance – by means of exercising rights provided by the 131-FZ Federal Law - Practice-oriented training of local self-governance specialists in interacting with interest groups – in forms provided by the 131-FZ Federal Law - Instituting non-governmental supervision of proper observance of citizens’ interests in the course of decision-making at all authority levels in the region - Dissemination of the project’s outcomes Activities to be performed at 2 levels: - pilot municipal entities: 1 municipal rayon including all poseleniyes within its territory; urban district – small town, 1 rayon of a major city; - regional councils of local self-governance representative bodies affiliated with the Samara Gubernskaya Duma (in existence already) and local self-governance heads affiliated with the Oblast Government (at the final stage of formation). Below are the planned outcomes of the project: - The majority of deputies, nonprofit organizations’ activists and administration employees in pilot municipal entities will thoroughly study the law on local self-government, especially with regard to participation of citizens in local self-governance and interaction between authorities and the nonprofit sector. - Systemic basis of normative-and-legal acts will be established in the pilot municipal entities to ensure the citizens’ entitlement to participation in the local self-governance. - Participants of the project will get practical experience as to development and implementation of the local social policy, partaking of citizens in the authorities’ decision-making process, organizing non-governmental supervision in the sphere of social policy. - Groups of trained social animators will organize interaction of citizens with the active deputies of the Samara Gubernskaya Duma (hereinafter – SGD) and the RF State Duma: they will acquire experience in promoting citizens’ interests in the form of (i) mandates given to candidates to SGD deputies and (ii) applications filed to different offices of local self-governance bodies and Samara oblast public authorities. - Institutional systems enabling interaction between authorities and the general public will be formed and/or improved in the pilot regions. The theoretical part of the skill-development course will be supplemented with practical training, which includes drafting, discussing and facilitating adoption of unavailable normative-legal acts or amending the effective legal framework as well as organizing model events and activities to ensure participation of citizens in the local self-governance. Each event and activity will be planned and conducted in public in one of the territories of each of the three municipal entities, following which the events and activities will be replicated by the awareness-raising program participants in all territories covered by the project. The key organizers of model events and activities will be trainees of the awareness-raising program. It is for the first time that putting in practice this awareness-raising program pools together in a team-style way the efforts of faculty members of the International Market Institute (Chair of Public and Municipal Governance), Samara State University, officials of relevant Samara oblast ministries and Samara Gubernskaya Duma, trainers and consultants of the Samara oblast nonprofit sector.
