Public service as a social lift to regional elites: qualitative sociology dimension

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of subjective assessments of regional elite representatives(public servants) regarding their own social role, place and significance in society, and their assessmentof the public service performance efficiency as a social lift. It was used a qualitative methodology toanalyze opinion of regional elite representatives concerning the civil service efficiency as a social lift.Such methodology is focused on meanings and senses, their creation and design features in the process ofsocial communication, which allows to bypass formalized and socially approved responses of informantsand to discover the actual state of affairs in the population. Research data were obtained during in-depth,focused interviews with public service representatives of various ranks and departments of Zaporizhzhiaoblast in April-May 2017.According to the results of the research, it was determined that public servants, as subjects/actors ofstate decision making processes, can influence on society within the framework of regional competences,which gives them certain privileges and signs of elitism at the regional level. At the same time, it wasdetermined that the public service institute operates as a social elevator for regional elites with certainlimitations – to a certain level – since the movement process is provided not only by the personal qualitiesof individuals, but also by their political preferences, the breadth of social ties, membership in certaininfluential groups. This feature leads to the fact that the personal advancements of public servants turninto jump-free mode and do not depend on their abilities, professionalism and potential. Therefore, entryinto the regional elite is not a resulted through an «idle» social lift, but through the usage of additionalchannels of social mobility.