Main theoretical approaches towards comprehension of the essence of abuse of administrative resources in the electoral process

Abstract

The object of this research is the abuse of administrative resource as one of the manifestations of corruption crime in the electoral process. Being a multidimensional negative phenomenon, the abuse of administrative resource does not have legal or generally accepted doctrinal definition, which impedes the development of the effective system of legal restrictions aimed at protection of electoral relations from such type of corruption. The subject of this research is the scientific works of the experts in sociology, political science, economics, and law that disclose the essential characteristics of the phenomenon in question. The goal lies in the formation of holistic representation on the abuse of administrative resource in the electoral process. The author examines and summarizes the approaches towards the concept of administrative resource proposed in different social sciences; determines the key legal elements of abuse of administrative resources in the electoral process, which reveal its corruption essence; formulates definition of this negative phenomenon. Scientific novelty lies in distinguishing the three independent approaches towards comprehension of administrative resource in the electoral process: socio-political, political-economic, and formal-legal. The absence of apparent contradictions, as well as complementarity of these approaches, allows forming holistic perspective on the administrative resource. Focusing attention on the formal-legal approach, the author concludes that the leading features of abuse of administrative resource in the electoral process in the special subject composition, method of wrongdoing, as well as corruption goal pursued by the actor of electoral process. The original definition of abuse of administrative resource in the electoral process is offered.