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RUSSIA |
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RUSSIA |
THE EUROPEAN AND COMPARATIVE DIMENSION
The most general course that contains a comparative European dimension is State Management of Foreign Countries. The curriculum includes the following issues: control systems in foreign countries; administrative activity in foreign countries; state management of economic activity; management of territories; bases of organisation of local self-government; influence of interstate formations on a control system.
One final course in this category is Social and State Regimes, which covers a variety of approaches to the concept of regimes. The course considers constitutional regimes, political theories (democracy, totalitarianism, authoritarianism), sociological approaches to regime theory, relevance of corporatist (neocorporatist) regimes and local regimes (C. Stone, pluralist, hyperpluralist, elitist and “growth machines” regimes as an extension of the theories of local regimes theories, regimes in the new Russia).
The System of Pubic Administration, Public Administration in Foreign Countries, Geopolitics, Regional Studies and Municipal Management classes are regular, mandatory courses that are taken by all students of the academy. The volume of these courses depends on the form of training.
The System of Public Administration in France, the System of Public Administration in the United Kingdom, the Organisation of International Cooperation in Regional and Local Levels are special courses. The administration of the academy approves special course offerings annually, and they are only offered to full-time students. Special courses for part-time students are extremely limited and usually no more than one such course is offered each semester.
These courses are taught in the Faculty of State and Political Management founded in 1998. Prior to this, these courses were offered by the faculties of the theory and practice of management (from 1992 to 1997) and constitutional and municipal law (from 1997 to 1998), although the teachers of these courses have actually remained the same.One or two teachers typically deliver each of these courses, as the academy has seven branches in which the same courses must be taught. General courses such as philosophy, history, economics and others are taught by teachers from the classic universities in the cities where branches are located. Universities and other institutions, which do not train students in state and municipal management, do not have staff trained to teach the specialiazed courses. One teacher from the academy, therefore, is not capable of delivering these courses to all students of the academy and its branches.
Over the past seven years, the quantity of courses connected with the comparative European PA dimension has substantially increased. Two years ago, courses such as the System of Public Administration and Municipal Management, were introduced with significant segments devoted to the European system of state management. Since 1998, within the framework of the Know-How Fund’s Regional Educational Academic Partnership programme, a project on “Educational Programmes in Practical Disciplines for Full and Part-Time Students, Specialising in State and Municipal Management” was initiated. One of major goals of this project, which will be completed by the autumn of 2000, is to expand courses in municipal management by adding a comparative European dimension. The system of pubic administration has been developed and is taught by a scholar who trained at the L' Institute des Etudes Politique de Bordeaux. Therefore, this course widely utilises the comparative European PA dimension. The content of courses on geopolitics and regional studies have been substantially changed as well.
The greatest changes have taken place in the second and the third forms of comparative European PA courses, as the study of the EU as a political-administrative system is only stipulated in the foreign public administration course. This course has not changed significantly for several years. A special course on the EU as a political-administrative system will be introduced for full-time fourth year students in the near future. Special courses on public administration systems in individual European countries (e.g., Great Britain, France, Germany) are available for full-time students in the third, fourth and fifth years of the programme.
Russia’s admission to the Council of Europe and the general opening of the country has naturally required it to reconsider attitudes towards training future state and municipal employees. Today, Russian citizens have the opportunity and right to compete for vacant positions in various pan-European organisations. Cooperation between the administrative authorities in the Urals region and their European equivalents has substantially increased. Many students and scientific researchers participate in joint research projects or are trained in European countries. Consulate and trade representatives of countries such as Great Britain, France, Germany, Hungary, etc. have begun working in the Urals. All of this undoubtedly requires Russia to train students in the sphere of state and municipal management in Europe, the Council of Europe and the European community.
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