Public control over the activities of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine: An introduction to the problem

Abstract

The research relevance is determined by the importance of public control over the activities of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, which follows directly from the status of this central executive body and its key tasks. The study aims to explore the concept and legal nature of public control as a modern institution, to establish the specifics of its formation and to determine in general terms the peculiarities of its adaptation to the functions and tasks of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. The key method of the research is formal-dogmatic (special legal), which is used to study the legal and regulatory constructions of understanding of public control, its goals and mechanisms. The study establishes the relationship between the content of the concept of public control and the goals which it sets or should set. Local self-government bodies and other entities are the primary providers of public control, and it is substantiated that the essence of public control is realised through the tasks of monitoring, inspection and supervision of activities of public authorities, local self-government bodies and other entities. The author establishes that the ultimate goal of control is to ensure that the subjects under control comply with the requirements of legislation, human and civil rights and freedoms, and the principles and values of civil society. It is found that the most balanced approach from the point of view of the needs of public administration and the realities of modern democratisation of Ukraine is a broad understanding of public control as a permanent and systematic, multifaceted activity of civil society institutions in their close interaction with the object of control: governmental authorities, law enforcement agencies, judicial and expert bodies, etc. The theoretical value of the article lies in a comprehensive review of the current state of understanding of the concept of public control. The practical value of the study lies in the fact that its results can be used to further improve the legal and regulatory framework for public control in Ukraine.