Legal framework of interaction between government authorities and civil society (on the example of Saint Petersburg)

Abstract

The subject of this article is the process of interaction between the government and civil society. The goal is to prove that a promising legal framework for the development of dialogue between the government and civil society exists not only in Russia overall, but in separate regions as well. The author achieves the set goal by analyzing the evolution of civil society in Russia and understanding peculiarities of the process of interaction between the government and civil society in Saint Petersburg. The article leans on the data provided by the center “Strategy”, Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, Civic Chamber of Saint Petersburg , “Center for the Development of Nonprofit Organizations”, etc. The scientific novelty consists in determination of peculiarities influencing the process of interaction between the government and civil society in Saint Petersburg. The main conclusion lies in the statement that Saint Petersburg has a decent legal and social framework for further advancement of interaction between the government and civil society: presence of normative legal base for regulating such interaction; presence of a relatively large number of registered nonprofit organizations in Saint Petersburg; active work of a number of nonprofit organizations reflected in mass media; existence of community boards on the territory of Saint Petersburg. Overall, Saint Petersburg offers all conditions for effective interaction between the government and civil society.