REGIONAL SPECIFICS OF FORMATION OF VALUES OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN RUSSIAN FEDERATION (on the example of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic)

Abstract

Features and problems of the development of civil society are some of the most topical issues of modern Russia’s social and political life. In early 21st ct. the idea of Eurasianism gained popularity. Its advocates claim that Russia is a unique independent civilization in itself, with its own unique cultural code. Social and cultural Russian specifics precondition significant regional differences in the level of development of civil society. Experts report that the values of civil society became widespread in the most economically developed regions. Citizens create and active participate in NGOs, promote charity, actively defend their rights. In less economically developed regions, located on the periphery of the social and economic development of the country, the level of development of civil society is quite low. The paper considers the specifics of the development of civil society values in one of the Southern regions of Russia – the Kabardino-Balkar Republic. The study is based on the systemic and interdisciplinary approaches. The research method used is a questionnaire survey. The sample size is 550 people. The study has revealed that residents of Kabardino-Balkaria more often use family ties and corruption to solve their life problems. At the same time, a small proportion of citizens resort to the services of NGOs, law enforcement agencies and the judicial system, which indicates a low level of legal awareness of the regional population. Despite the fact that younger people grew up in post-Soviet Russia, modeled after democratic countries, this sociodemographic population group shows higher level of social apathy and rejection of civil society values than the population of Kabardino-Balkaria on average.