The Regional Specifics of the Development of a Civil Society in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic

Abstract

In this article, which was compiled with financial support from a Russian Federation presidential grant for supporting young scientists (grant MK-2488.2019.6), examines the regional specifics of developing civil society values in one of Russia’s subjects – the Kabardha-Balkar Republic. The issues and specifics of developing a civil society is one of the most relevant topics for social sciences in modern-day Russia. There are still arguments to this day between those who support European integration and joining the Western world and advocates of Russia being its own civilization. Our country’s socio-cultural characteristics imply significant regional diversity in the development of a civil society. Expert reports prepared by various research centers note that civil society values tend to be more prominent in the country’s more economically developed regions. Citizens create and actively partake in the activities of public organizations, they propagate charity work, and actively protect their own rights. Meanwhile in the less advanced regions, civil society is not as well developed. In this article, the author examines the issues in question based on the example of one of Russia’s regions which possesses its own substantial cultural specificity. The methodological underpinnings for the study are based on a systemic and interdisciplinary approach. The study was conducted by means of questionnaire survey method. The sample size amounted to 550 people. In terms of geography, all municipalities of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic were covered, including remote and hard to reach highland areas (Chereksky, Zolsky, Elbrussky districts). During the study, it was revealed that residents of Kabardino-Balkaria would more often resort to assistance from their relatives or to corrupt dealings in order to solve their problems. At the same time help from public organizations, law enforcement and the judicial system are sought after by a much smaller proportion of citizens, which might speak to the population bearing a relatively low level of legal awareness. Despite the fact that the republic’s youth came of age in post-Soviet Russia, which was being modeled after democratic nations, this socio-demographical population group demonstrates a higher level of social apathy and disapproval for civil society values than the region’s population does on average.