Legal culture as an element of management activity in local government bodies in Ukraine

Abstract

The article examines the legal culture as a necessary element in the management activities carried out by local governments in Ukraine. The author analyzes the initiatives, preconditions and approaches to the proper use of legal culture in the activities of local governments, their impact on the legal culture of society, as well as the degree and quality of services guaranteed by fundamental human rights and freedoms by the state. The author analyzes the concept of legal culture in relation to its practical application in the management of local self-government in terms of efficiency and use of opportunities for the development of territorial communities. It also emphasizes the new disposition of local self-government, when as a result of reforming the administrative-territorial structure of Ukraine, new territorial communities were formed, thus forming the basis of a new subregional level – new united districts; accordingly, the new territorial communities were given powers that were previously exercised by a network of local executive offices, and most importantly - their own financial and land resources. The author draws attention to the successful technical implementation of local government reform, and at the same time increasing the role of the value system in local self-government, in particular raising the level of legal culture and legal awareness in communities and in modern society as a whole. Thus, according to the author of the article, it is based on the results of the formation of local authorities that the local elite is formed, which should contribute in every way to raising the legal culture and legal awareness of the population. The author of the article substantially studies the modern theoretical origins of legal culture from its philosophical and legal characteristics to the legal culture of municipal management as a specific type of management culture in the legal culture of society, the value of legal culture in relation to society (or its parts) to management or management personnel. The author also draws attention to the processes that take place depending on the level of legal culture and notes the views of other researchers of legal culture on the construction of possible internal confrontations among local elites. In the conclusions, the author notes that the value of legal culture lies in certain modern methodological standards that should be introduced in such public authorities as local government, thus disseminating successful international practices, values and institutional experience. Keywords: legal culture, legal culture of society, local governments, territorial communities, management activities