Civil Initiatives Research Articles

The role of social-oriented NPos in shaping the foundations of a New Citizenship in Russia

The article is devoted to the concept of the new Russian citizenship and its value-ideological foundations, which are civil activism, civil responsibility, and civil control. It is considered how non-profit organizations through their activities form and consolidate the value of these categories in the minds of citizens and in what ways they influence the spread of public control practices. Based on the dialectical approach, the study of domestic and foreign literature, as well as the analysis of cases, the author aims to establish a link between the civil initiatives and programs implemented with social- oriented NPOs, and the political and ideological values of Russian society that form the general civil consciousness.

Communicative Resources of Public Chambers for the Formation of Public Opinion (on the example of a municipal territory)

The current situation in single-industry towns of the Ural Federal District has long suggested the need to build and implement a strategy for sociological support of work and search for public practices of Public Chambers in municipalities. Hence, the purpose of this study was to develop and substantiate a more advanced model of sociological support for the activities of the Public Chamber for the formation of public opinion in the municipal territory, understanding of the authorities of its usefulness, which, as a result, will significantly simplify the procedures for discussing projects for the formation of a comfortable urban environment and other projects to address issues of life support of the municipality by representatives of the socio-territorial community. The novelty of the material is characterized by the use of reflexive practices of the concept of “Good Governance” in building a model of “Effective Governance” for establishing communication processes, cooperation, and involving the population in the process of power management through the Public Chamber at the municipal level. Using the levels of civic engagement established by the citizen engagement standard, the institutional functions of the Public Chamber for the formation of public opinion, its institutional functions are specified as new formats for citizen engagement. An additional constructivist function is proposed: the formation, as a result of the manifestation of civil initiatives, of new social structures from public opinion leaders such as: public councils, city councils, possible communities, territorial self-government bodies subordinate to the Public Chambers of municipalities (as part of them), which is of interest in the study and clarification as another additional institutional function for the formation of public opinion and the involvement of citizens in resolving issues of local governments. On the basis of the experiment conducted on the territory of the municipality (Sverdlovsk region, 2021), the author formulates the new formats for the involvement of the citizens, and develops recommendations for local authorities that would contribute to the establishment of communication processes, cooperation, and further involvement of the citizens in the process of managing power by the population at the municipal level.

İklim Krizine Türk Medyası Çerçevesinden Bakmak

News is one of the most significant means that provides information to the public regarding the events that may affect them in modern societies. Especially in situations such as climate change, where its effects are felt globally and each individual must comply with the recommended measures, the news broadcast is of importance. The news based on the right sources and edited by expert journalists will contribute to the development of responsibility in this vital issue that will determine the future of the world. While preparing the news on this subject, many different actors such as scientists, artists and campaigns created by governmental institutions or civil initiatives, as well as journalists, determine how the climate crisis is expressed in the daily discourses. Therefore, the discourse constructed by the news frames also shapes the perceptions of the masses about the climate crisis. The framing of climate crisis news in terms of problems, solutions and levels of responsibility is of great importance both for the determination of individual and social reactions and for the realization of social responsibility and action. In this context, this study aims at understanding the content and production style of climate crisis journalism in Turkey in terms of the messages conveyed. The research focuses on mass media, which widely broadcast for the general audience in Turkey, and the news on the climate crisis in the online news sites will be analyzed in the context of news framing theory. Due to the fact that the online news is open to interaction and can be easily accessed by a wide range of audience, the news samples to be analyzed were determined by scanning online news sites.

Information and communication technologies in the interaction of authorities and public organizations

The article discusses information and communication technologies in the interaction of authorities and public organizations. Civic engagement is a key indicator that characterizes civil society in interaction with the authorities. NGO support resource centers are the regulator of interaction between civil society and government. The paper defines the level of development of network resources, with the help of which the Internet promotion of NGOs is carried out. The main activities of the Resource Center are considered. The degree of confidence of residents of the Yaroslavl region in the activities of NGOs is given according to a survey conducted by teachers of the Department of Socio-Political Theories of P.G. Demidov Yaroslavl State University and employees of the Resource Center for Support of NGOs and Civil Initiatives. The effectiveness of interaction with citizens through social networks, messengers and other means of electronic communication in the areas and topics of the Center's activities has been established. A number of factors influencing the choice of forms of expression of civic activity in the Network have been identified. Contradictory facts have been identified and explained in the analysis of civic activity in the network based on the results of the survey. The tendency of expanding the information and communication space of interaction between public authorities and public organizations is revealed. The results of a survey of citizens of the Yaroslavl region on the issue of information and communication interaction between regional authorities and public organizations are presented. The directions of activity of the structure created in 2020, the Regional Management Center of the Yaroslavl region are outlined.

Social and environmental priorities as a factor of sustainable development of the state

The system of socio-ecological priorities for the development of the Belarusian society as a unity of economic, social, political and scientific-management factors is presented. Along with the growing role of state policy in the socio-economic and environmental spheres in the context of the transition to a post-industrial society, one of the factors of sustainable development is the strengthening of the presence of civil initiatives and public control in these areas. To implement the national strategy for sustainable development, a clear system of social and environmental priorities for creating optimal living conditions for the population is required. Further interaction of state and public structures, increasing the efficiency of self-government in the socio-ecological sphere is one of the immediate tasks facing the country.

Andragogical Orientation of Social Sphere Specialist’s Educational Training in the Context of Innovative Projects Implementation

The article reveals the problem associated with the training of social specialists in the context of the andragogical paradigm. Based on a new worldview discourse that strengthens the anti-discrimination policy in relation to low-mobility groups of the population and groups exposed to socio-economic risks that may threaten a decrease in the quality of life, the authors see in increasing the professional competence of social specialists one of the most important factors in solving this problem. In the system of interaction "specialist-recipient of social services", among which there are social and pedagogical services, a significant place is occupied by competencies that require the ability to inform, advise, convince, conduct a constructive dialogue, which implies knowledge of adragogy as a science of theory, content and learning technologies adults. In connection with overcoming the extensive path of development of social policy and the activation of civil initiatives, the use of the potential of the social environment, special attention is paid to innovative technologies in social work related to raising funds, in this case, to the social sphere. The authors raise the question of studying the direction of andragogical activity, considering innovative areas that have become more active in recent years in order to overcome the growing problems associated with social uncertainty. In this regard, the authors consider it expedient to propose the organization of andragogical seminars for social specialists.

Public tourism policies in the Brazilian Amazon: Participation and networks

The aim of this study is to analyze the tourism network in Marajó, PA, Brazil. To do so, we sought to elucidate the concept of participation, networks and public policies so that the mechanisms of their organization in this region can be understood. This work is an excerpt from the dissertation entitled “Tourism governance on Ilha do Marajó, Pará, Brazil: An analysis of the relationship networks established in public tourism policies” (Farias, 2018). This analysis uses an interdisciplinary approach in tourism, seeking to interpret it from theoretical perspectives on participation in public policies. The study follows several steps which in the end could be connected and interpreted based on the assumptions of qualitative research. The bibliographical deepening, documentary analysis, the elaboration and application of semi-structured interviews directed the study to reach the proposed objective. Thus, the analysis revealed that the participation of agents in the decision-making process in tourism does not aim to disregard the State, but seeks to confirm the importance that institutions represent. Some examples are civil initiatives and organizations such as the Women’s Association of Pesqueiro (Associação das Mulheres do Pesqueiro - ASMUPESQ), as evidenced in the study.

Volunteer activity of student youth as a means of formation personal and professional qualities of future specialists

The article is devoted to the study of the legal framework and best practices of volunteer activity in the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Belarus through a review and analysis of the available scientific and methodological literature and official data of both countries, as well as a direct visit to the volunteer centers at the Belarusian State Pedagogical University named after M. Tank. The study was aimed directly at volunteering for people with special needs, including adults and children with various developmental and health conditions. In Kazakhstan the state provides full support for the volunteer movement and the development of civil initiatives, but this is more of a social nature, which indicates the need to consider volunteerism as a means of forming not only personal, but also professional qualities in future teachers. This makes it possible not only to initiate a volunteer movement in the social sphere, but also to build a system of training volunteers in conditions of higher and secondary vocational training. The authors present the experience of using volunteer practice in the professional training of teachers in the Republic of Belarus, which allows us to solve this issue by creating a volunteer network at the university, introducing volunteer practice and special courses for students, which form the competencies necessary in working with different categories of children, contribute to understanding the essence of volunteer activity as an integral part of pedagogical work. Based on the analysis of official data and scientific literature, the authors identify the main problems, such as the need for a systematic approach to the training of volunteers at the university and college level; the development and implementation of short-term educational programs; the development of scientific and methodological foundations of volunteer activity within the framework of inclusion. Accordingly, the following solutions are proposed: development of the concept and model of the student volunteer movement within the framework of inclusive education; development and implementation of an elective course for students; coordination and methodological support of the existing network of volunteerism; creation of volunteer clubs, schools, centers in all educational, social and other organizations. The introduction of the best practices of friendly countries and systematic steps for the widespread introduction and development of the volunteer movement among students will allow for the training of teachers who are able to compete in the labor market and are ready to work in the changing conditions of the modern educational and social space.

Creation of project offices for the implementation of civil initiatives in rural areas

Creation of project offices for the implementation of civil initiatives in rural areas

PROSPECTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING IN THE ALTAI REGION

A promising direction for solving the problems of improving life in rural areas is the implementation of the Local Initiatives Support Project, which is the most common and popular practice of initiative budgeting on the whole territory of Russian Federation.
 The theoretical basis of participatory budgeting is the republican theory of the organization of society and participatory democracy, which assumes a decentralized collective decision-making that affects the life of the community.
 The article considers the history of the development of participatory budgeting in the world, the Russian Federation and the Altai Region in particular, describes the applied procedure of initiative budgeting, and analyzes the implementation of the Local Initiatives Support Project on the example of the Kosikhinsky district, Altai Region.
 The performed researches indicate the expansion of the practice of realization the LISP in the Altai Territory.
 But already at this stage the authors note the need to improve relations between the project participants and suggest using the experience of implementing the adapted methodology developed by the European University in St. Petersburg and the Committee of Civil Initiatives in the cities of Cherepovets (Vologda region) and Sosnovy Bor (Leningrad region) for this purpose.

Дуализм правовой природы местного самоуправления в контексте конституционной реформы Российской Федерации (на примере местного самоуправления в городе Новосибирске)

The Constitution of the Russian Federation this year includes the legal structure “unified system of public power”, which includes local self-government bodies in addition to state authorities. This article examines the duality of the legal nature of local self-government, on the example of the city of Novosibirsk, analyzes the essence of local self-government as a public authority of a municipal formation and as an institution of civil society; justifies the need for local selfgovernment bodies to have power, imperative powers. The article examines the legal and organizational basis for the right of the population of the city of Novosibirsk to participate in the management of municipal Affairs, to resolve issues of local significance through the implementation of civil initiatives. The article analyzes such forms of direct democracy as instructions from voters to deputies, appeals from citizens to local self-government bodies, participation of citizens in sessions of a representative body of a municipal formation, as well as such forms of public authority by local selfgovernment bodies as municipal control, and bringing guilty persons to administrative responsibility for committing an offense by administrative commissions of a municipal formation.

Industrial heritage preservation and the urban revitalisation process in Belgrade

ABSTRACT Urban regeneration is often driven by economic interests, while the preservation of the meaning and memory of a place is neglected. This could be considered as a reason a series of civil initiatives emerged in Belgrade to prevent damage to the built heritage and to indicate the need for stronger citizen involvement in the city’s development processes. This paper will focus on the issues of the Belgrade waterfront industrial heritage protection process by exploring eleven case studies, observed through a framework that includes key actors in the protection process. In order to determine the level of citizen participation in this process, the degree of their activity was studied by analyzing the social media content through which they communicate about this particular topic. Furthermore, possibilities of different approaches in presentation and utilization of the abandoned industrial heritage will be investigated, in order to define common procedures that will be in line with the city development goals, citizen expectations and heritage protection measures.

Partilhando uma vida de cão: políticas públicas e a leishmaniose visceral canina

Este artigo apresenta algumas linhas introdutórias de uma exploração sobre políticas públicas para a Leishmaniose Visceral Canina. A partir do caso de Porto Alegre-RS procuramos mostrar que há um silenciamento do sofrimento canino na evidência de que políticas públicas para Leishmaniose passam a ser constituídas apenas quando a doença ameaça vidas humanas. Igualmente, mostramos como políticas de coexistência são produzidas e vividas muito mais a partir da iniciativa civil, quase sempre à margem e até mesmo contra as políticas públicas pensadas e executadas pelo Estado, quando certas populações de cães e de humanos são negligenciados pelo poder público.

Institutions of social control in the Russian Federation: subjectivity case

The article examines the analysis of the institution of social control in the Russian Federation and its subjectivity. The relevance of the study is due to the conceptual diversity and lack of scientific consensus regarding the concept of “social control”. Also, this consensus is absent regarding other related concepts, which include “public control”, “civil control”, “people’s control” and others. To solve this problem, a group of domestic sources that define these concepts are analyzed. It also analyzes the legal acts regulating social control in Russia. The role of the Public Chamber and the analysis of current scientific approaches to its consideration are considered in a separate block. In conclusion, it is concluded that there is a fundamental contradiction between expert assessments and the current legislative framework. This leads to the fact that civil initiatives in the field of social control can only be implemented in the forms proposed by the state.

Peculiarities of youth volunteering in modern Russia: on the path to making socially important decisions

This article reviews volunteering as one of the forms of participation of youth in making socially important decisions. Volunteering forms the culture of engagement in social life that contributes to consolidation of civil initiatives and democratic values. Teenagers and youth can also participate in improvement of their living conditions and defend their interests via volunteer activity. The key research question is associated with seeking the ways by teenagers and youth to express their opinion through volunteering, and consideration of that opinion by the leaders of volunteer organizations. Group discussion served as the main method for obtaining empirical data; total of 5 group discussions with young people aged 16-18 were held. Roger Hart's Ladder of Children's Participation was applied in the course of this research. Alongside determination of the “level” of engagement of young volunteers as a ratio of personal initiatives and decisions of the adults organizers, the author determines the two lines of analysis – transformation of volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic and trends of volunteer activity in ten years from now. Group discussions with young people allowed concluding that volunteering, as any other activity organized by adults, indicates the lack of freedom for young people to show their initiatives and participate in making socially important decisions. Pseudo-participation is especially evident in school volunteering.

The Role of Civil Initiatives in Reducing Disaster Risks: Sample of TRI DRR

Afetlerin global ölçekte yıkıcı etkisi vardır ve her yerde afet aynı dili kullanır. Ancak alınacak önlemler doğrultusunda etkileri azaltılabilir. Dünyada değişik kültür ve yaşam tarzının, değişik ekonomilerle birlikte bulunması afetin etkileri açısından ülkeler bazında değişiklik göstermektedir. Aynı büyüklükte meydana gelen bir deprem toplumların kırılganlıklarına göre farklı sonuçlar göstermektedir. Afet öncesi yapılacak hazırlık ve zarar azaltma çalışmaları kadar afet sonrasında da yapılacak hasar, kayıp ve acil durum sonrası ihtiyaç değerlendirmesi çalışmaları da önemlidir. Afetlerde meydana gelen deneyimlerle ihtiyaçların belirlenmesi, acil durum ve afetlerle ilişkili olası sonuçların değerlendirilmesi, stratejilerin belirlenmesi ülkelerin kalkınma planlarında da yer almaya başlamıştır. Bununla birlikte çerçeve programları, rehberler de toplumların afet risk azaltma çalışmalarına destek vermektedir. Sivil insiyatifler ve STK lar doğal afet riski bulunan ve daha önce doğal afet yaşayan topluluklar üzerinde zarar azaltma metotlarını araştırması ve yaşananlardan dersler çıkarması gerekmektedir. Afet riski taşıyan bölge topluluklarını araştırmak, risk azaltma için en uygun araçları yaygınlaştırmak için çaba göstermelidir. Bunun bir örneği olarak çalışma kapsamında sivil insiyatif TRIDRR’ın çalışmaları vurgulanmıştır.

On the Activity of Major Cluster Groups in Russia as a Key Tool for Implementing Import Substitution and Innovation Policies

The presented study summarizes the results of the implementation of import substitution and innovation policies in Russia. It is established that cluster structures created and supported by the state are primarily meant to solve the problems of import substitution and innovative economy formation in the country. Aim. The study aims to assess the prospects for the development of cluster initiatives as a key tool for implementing import substitution and innovation policies in the country. Tasks. The authors examine the role and importance of clusters in the development of regions and countries; summarize theoretical models of cluster structures; determine stages in the development of cluster initiatives in modern Russia; analyze the results of the formation of industrial and innovative clusters; formulate conclusions regarding the problems of innovation policy implementation; provide recommendations to facilitate the development of cluster initiatives and innovative economy in Russia. Methods. This study uses general scientific methods of cognition to analyze the results of the formation of cluster structures meant to facilitate the implementation of innovation and import substitution policies in Russia and proposes possible directions and tools for the formation of Industry 4.0 in the country. Results. The study shows that the current solution to the problem of import substitution based on industrial clusters is unsatisfactory. Effective support for the activity of innovation clusters also does little to increase the share of innovative products created in Russia. At the same time, it will obviously take at least 10-15 years to see the effects of the implementation of innovation and import substitution policies, which makes it impossible to draw a definitive conclusion about the effectiveness of the examined policies or to assess the overall activity of cluster structures in the country. Conclusions. Based on the results of the study, it is concluded that instead of extractive development institutions that hinder the country’s development, civil and entrepreneurial initiatives, Russia needs inclusive development institutions that are now practically absent but would allow citizens, organizations, and companies to influence economic and political processes. Furthermore, special government support is required for the rapidly growing medium-sized tech companies, which can become a source of economic growth for the country and a factor of global competitiveness in the world market in the next 10-15 years. Without their active development, building Industry 4.0 is impossible.

CIVIL SOCIETY AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT: CASE OF MARMARA EARTHQUAKE

Despite the abundance of studies on performance of public organizations involved in the disaster management system of Turkey, there had been limited attention to the role of civil initiatives involved in disaster management. The disaster response operations in the aftermath of the Marmara earthquake showed that the interaction between public organizations and civil society organizations, and the coordination among the civil society organizations themselves have been very limited. After reviewing the literature on interorganizational response systems following the Marmara Earthquake, this study uses a novel data set to decipher the collective action problems of civil society organizations in Turkish disaster response system using network analysis. The study concludes with a set of policy recommendations to enhance coordination and cooperation among organizations involved in the governance of Turkish disaster management system.

Civil activism as a resource for political administration of media space: Russian and international experience

Currently, control over the political process is exercised not only on the physical level: a significant role in political transformations is also played by media space. Alongside the traditional forms, such as television, radio and periodicals, the Internet grows in popularity, being a platform for communication between most active social actors concerned with the problems of political, cultural and other social spheres. The virtual environment that opens doors for the promotion of civil initiatives. It is noteworthy that civil activity can have a destabilizing effect on the media space, when the population uses online platforms not as a resource of “soft power”, but as the means of influencing the government. The citizens’ pursuit of sociopolitical changes manifests not only in the forms of protest: media space affords opportunities for participation in various online platforms, forums, etc. for the citizens with active political position. At the same time, the virtual means of participation in such projects as a resource of political administration have certain limitations and are controlled by the government. Leaning on the comparative analysis, the author analyzes the theory of the question, as well as Russian and international practical experience pertaining to implementation of civil activism as a resource for political administration of media space. The conclusion is made on the level effectiveness of implementation of civil activism in media environment, its capabilities and limitations.

Wind energy counter-conducts in Germany: understanding a new wave of socio-environmental grassroots protest

ABSTRACT The rapid expansion of wind farms in Germany has spurred debate over the environmental impacts of the Energiewende, the country’s plan to transition towards renewable energy sources. We explore the opposition to two wind farms in central Germany by local civil initiatives through the Foucauldian notion of counter-conducts and a related Analytics of Protest Framework. Employing qualitative interpretive research methods, including 27 semi-structured interviews, we examine how wind energy critics navigate practices and rationalities governing wind energy expansion in the context of the Energiewende. We argue that critics challenge imperatives of environmental protection and energy justice, while at the same time reinforcing them. Struggles over wind energy manifest as struggles over the legitimate object of environmental protection and the ethical constitution of an environmental subject. Landscapes, both as habitats and scenery, gain impetus as the central tenet in the ecological agenda of wind energy opponents.