АССИМЕТРИЯ ИНФОРМАЦИИ И ОППОРТУНИЗМ СУБЪЕКТОВ: ВОЗМОЖНОСТИ ИНСТИТУЦИОНАЛЬНОГО АНАЛИЗА В ИСТОРИИ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОГО УПРАВЛЕНИЯ В РОССИИ

Abstract

The main research problem of this article is the possibility of applying some concepts of the neo-institutional approach to analyzing the history of public administration system in Russia in the 19th — early 20th centuries, as well as in the late Soviet era. Th is allows us to better understand the general patterns of evolution of the mechanisms of state institutions functioning in the past and present. Th e research method was case analysis; the selected cases relate to manifestations of information asymmetry and opportunism of subjects of state governance interactions. Th e paper examines the reaction of government offi cials to the Decree of Alexander I of August 6, 1809 “On the rules of promotion to ranks in the civil service and on tests in the sciences, for promotion to Collegiate Assessors and State Councilors.” As the second example illustrating the manifestation of “government opportunism”, the period of the “Great Reforms” in Russia was chosen. Th e third case considered was the development by the supreme power of normative documents ensuring the activities of representative government bodies created in accordance with the provisions of the Manifesto of October 17, 1905. Th e latest of the analyzed cases were manifestations of information asymmetry and opportunism during the perestroika period, examined using the examples of cotton pricing and the behavior of regional government offi cials in relation to production cooperatives. In all analyzed cases, the possession of more information by one of the parties led to an increase in mistrust between the participants in the interaction, usually supporters of reforms and their opponents. In turn, mistrust resulted in opportunistic behavior of subjects in the process of developing and implementing reform plans. Ultimately, all this led to falling into institutional traps and the consolidation of negative institutional qualities.